The Food Chain
by TheRealMcbasilrocks
Summary: What if Judy and Nick hadn't swapped out the serum for blueberries? As Bellwether tightens her grip on the divided Zootopia, Nick is turned savage for real and committed to solitary confinement. But Judy isn't ready to give up on him, and soon the two are fighting for survival - not just against the world, but against each other. Set during/after an alternative ending to the movie.
1. Chapter 1

**_Well, I'm pretty sure I have a problem now. A good kind of problem, anyway. Less than 48 hours after penning my first ever fanfiction, and I've been bitten by the writing bug once more. And within a couple hours, and one stream of inspiration later, I had another Zootopia story, this one much longer and more serious, pretty much all planned out. I honestly can't explain it, but who am I to complain?_**

 ** _As the story is a re-imagining of the movie's climactic events, quite a bit of this first chapter is just my rendition of the film's final scenes. I've tried to spice it up, and things get much more interesting near the end, but just a heads-up. The narrative really opens up in later chapters, I promise._**

 ** _As ever, reviews and related feedback are thankfully received._**

 _ **Last time I checked, I still don't own Zootopia. Working on it.**_

* * *

"...how did you know where to find us?"

ZPD Officer Judy Hopps, and her conman-turned-associate Nick Wilde, stood illuminated in the skylight of the Zootopia Natural History Museum. In one paw, she maintained a firm grasp on the evidence proving that the recent cases of predators going savage in the city weren't due to biology, as she'd wrongfully assumed: a briefcase containing a dart gun and several capsules filled with concentrated Night Howler serum; a flower which caused severe psychotropic effects in mammals.

"I'll go ahead and take that case."

Directly opposite the pair stood Dawn Bellwether, former lackey of Mayor Leodore Lionheart and currently acting as interim leader of the city following his arrest. During her time in Zootopia, Officer Hopps had grown quite close to Bellwether, consulting her for help with following up on an important lead.

But something about the ewe's sudden arrival at the museum, despite there being absolutely no reason for her to be there, didn't sit quite right with Judy.

And then it clicked.

Her abuse at the hands of Lionheart. Her hasty text to city hall ensuring Judy would be put on the Otterton case. The fact that she curiously had access to the files of every traffic camera in Zootopia, even though she didn't work for the ZPD. Perhaps most damningly, the snipers responsible for turning the predators feral being _rams_. And now she turns up at a closed museum for seemingly no occasion other than to intercept them.

 _She_ was the culprit.

Almost reflexively, Judy shifted the briefcase out of Bellwether's reach. In an instant, the true danger of the situation dawned on her. Motioning for Nick to back up, she tried her level best to keep her sudden simultaneous feelings of shock, betrayal and realisation from becoming apparent in her expression. _If she could just buy enough time to get to Bogo..._

"Y'know, I think _Nick and I_ will..." she gulped, "take this evidence to the ZPD."

The pair wheeled around, only to find the exit blocked by a muscle-bound ram, not unlike those they had found at the Night Howler lab. If they needed any more confirmation that Bellwether was in on the whole thing, there it was.

Nick seemed to have caught on too. He looked Judy dead in the eyes. "Run."

Without a moment's hesitation, the two broke into a desperate sprint, scrambling behind a curtain leading to a dark storage area. Clearly sensing that her façade had been seen through, Bellwether dropped the cheery demeanour and signalled to her henchmen.

"Get them."

With two vicious rams in hot pursuit, Nick and Judy weaved through the various old displays cluttering the room; a task made slightly simpler for Nick by his excellent nightvision. One of the few aspects of being a fox he was consistently thankful for.

Easily spying the protruding tusk of a downed mammoth skeleton, Nick leapt gracefully over the potentially lethal obstacle. Judy, however, was not so lucky. Before the fox had a chance to warn her, she smacked straight into the exhibit, tripping and catching her leg on the tusk, slicing the top layer of skin clean off. Searing hot pain shot up her calf as she balled up into a foetal position, gasping in agony.

"Carrots!" Crushingly aware of the bodyguards drawing ever nearer, Nick hurried over to his partner's side and helped her to her feet, half-dragging and half-carrying her behind a pillar. "C'mon, I got you."

On any other occasion, Judy would have protested against the pejorative nickname 'Carrots', but she had to admit it had grown on her; and besides, it hardly seemed the time to split hairs. She allowed herself to be ferried around the corner and stretched out her leg for Nick to examine. Blood oozed from the cut. The damage, though not irreparable, was enough to ground her for the time being.

"Blueberry?"

 _What?_ She looked up, and through her pain-fuelled haze, saw Nick offering her some of her family's homegrown fruit from a handkerchief. _Bless him. He's trying to keep me calm._

"Ugh, pass." If he wanted to joke, she wasn't going to let him get one over on her, even when her body felt like it was on fire.

Bellwether's collected, but now definitely more unstable, voice echoed down the hall. "We're on the same team, Judy!" _Uh-oh._ Thinking fast, she thrust the briefcase into Nick's arms.

"Take the case. Get it to Bogo."

Nick shook his head. "I'm not leaving you behind, that's not happening."

Judy pointed at her leg, which was now bandaged in Nick's handkerchief. "I can't _walk_."

"Underestimated, underappreciated. Aren't you sick of it?" The voice was closer for sure this time.

"OK, well, we'll think of _something_..." Nick scanned the area, searching for anything that could buy them some more time. His eyes came to rest on a disused bunny mannequin holding a spear. "That's it!" he whispered to himself, a clear note of self-satisfaction in his tone.

Dusting off the figure, he positioned it so that it cast a shadow against the far wall of the room, then hoisted Judy halfway onto his shoulder. "Get up here. That's it. Now, how do we get outta this place?"

Judy pointed weakly in the direction of the exit. "Over there." As they made to leave, she spied the handful of blueberries scattered on the floor and was struck with an ingenious idea. One that just might save their lives.

"Nick, wait. The blueberries – "

"We don't have _time_ , Carrots. We gotta hustle."

"No, seriously. What if we switched out the- "

Bellwether's voice rang loudly and clearly in their ears. " _We'll be unstoppable_!"

That did it. Nick broke into a run, Judy in tow, leaving the by-now rotting fruit untouched on the ground.

"Sorry, sweetheart. You know I'd listen to you if we weren't being chased by a bunch of homicidal maniacs. Kinda puts a damper on your social skills."

"Sure." Judy tried laboriously to keep up with her partner, who had her by the hand, but she was unable to shake the feeling that he'd just committed a grave mistake.

En route to the exit, Judy's slender form bashed into a pile of steel pipes, knocking one loose and sending it crashing to the ground. Nick's ears flattened as he winced, knowing their cover was blown.

"What are you _doing?!_ "

"It's not my fault. _You_ try running with a mangled limb."

Naturally, Bellwether had heard the noise. She whipped around and yelled to the rams. "Over there!"

Not even realising they were being chased again, Nick focused all his effort on reaching daylight. They were metres from the exit. So close. _So... close..._

"Aagh!" Judy finally gave way and stumbled forward. Against his better judgment, the fox stopped for a second to make sure she was OK. _Damn, he was getting soft._

And that tiny opening was all the guards needed to make their move.

 _Wham._ Propelled by the driving force of a 200-pound slab of mutton, Judy and Nick sailed through the air and landed, hard, in a crumpled heap inside one of the museum's savannah exhibits. Even with all the tension and terror of the situation, Judy couldn't help but note the ironic symbolism of this setting.

Badly bruised, the pair separated, and fell to the floor as Bellwether, having retrieved the Night Howler case after seeing it knocked from Judy's hands, tottered up to the edge of the pit and surveyed her prey with a condescending smirk.

"Heh. Bunny should've just stayed on the carrot farm, huh?" Judy glared through the pain. The rough landing had done her injury no favours. "It really is too bad. I did like you."

Judy scoffed. _Yeah, sure. In the same way a leopard_ likes _a wounded gazelle._

Defiantly, she rose and looked the ewe straight in the face. "What are you going to do, kill me?" _That's a rhetorical question. Please don't kill me._

"Oh! Heh. No, of course not. No."

Judy's eyes widened as Bellwether raised the dart gun. Something had told her this was going to happen.

" _He is_."

" _NO_!" Too late. Before Judy could leap in front of her friend, the villain had fired off a round, hitting Nick square in the neck and forcefully injecting potent Night Howler serum into his bloodstream. Instantaneously, the fox gasped, gagged and collapsed onto the ground.

 _Dammit, why didn't he listen to me?_ "Nick, no. Don't do this. Fight it."

Bellwether chuckled, circling the rim of the pit. "Oh, but he can't help it, can he? Since preds are just _biologically predisposed_ to be savages."

Judy, now in a genuine panic, began grasping Nick's shoulders and shaking him. "Nick, listen to me. Don't give into it. _You aren't a savage_. Not now. Not when we're so close. Are you-"

"Back off." Nick flipped over, and began writhing and thrashing around. Judy was horrified to see that the usual charming, sardonic glint in his eyes was fading fast, being replaced by rapidly dilating pupils.

"What?"

" _Get away from me_!" Nick cowered behind one of the exhibit's fake rocks. "I'm not letting your stubbornness get you killed."

"Nick, I won't leave here without you."

"Exactly my point. This – agh! – I don't know what the heck's gonna happen when this stuff takes hold, Carrots. Promise me you'll run."

"I-"

"Promise me."

"No."

Bellwether observed the proceedings with great interest.

"I – gah! - you _need_ to get out of here."

"What, and leave the evidence in Mayor Bellwether's hooves? Let her get off the hook?"

She glanced up and saw the ewe phoning the ZPD, evidently planning to frame Nick for her impending doom.

Nick had seconds left of consciousness. "That doesn't _matter_! You _saw_ what happened with Manchas."

Judy bent down and pressed her muzzle to his, looking deep into his unnaturally blackened irises. "Then I guess I'm up for round two."

She thought she could detect the slightest hint of sadness in the fox's eyes as they glazed over and closed one last time. In an almost pitifully weak, throaty voice, Nick stammered: "I... I'm sorry... Judy."

Deafening silence.

Then a bloodcurdling growl pierced the air.

The eyes that opened next were no longer Nicholas Wilde's. They burned with predatory rage and feral aggression, reflecting Judy's stoic, but clearly terrified face in their glassy, unfeeling depths.

Down on all fours and heckles raised, the creature possessing Nick's body bared its teeth and rounded on Judy. She stumbled backwards into the artificial grass, her leg hurting worse than ever.

Having finished her deceptive phone call, Bellwether turned her attention back to the scene. "Gosh. Think of the headlines. 'Hero Cop Killed by Savage Fox'."

Appalled that she had the gall to continue discussing politics after robbing her friend of his God-given sentience, Judy refused to rise to it, and instead called the ewe out.

"So that's it. Prey fears predator and _you_ stay in power?"

"Pretty much."

"It won't work." Judy was bluffing now, and she knew it, but she needed something to divert her attention from the horror unfolding before her. Betrayed by two of her friends in a single evening. And one of them didn't even know he was doing it.

"Fear _always_ works. And I'll dart every predator in Zootopia to keep it that way."

The monster pushed its snout up in Judy's face, who was backed up against the wall. As its torso parted the grass, she searched desperately for any glimmer of her former ally in its eyes. "Oh, Nick..."

Bellwether hummed in satisfaction. "Bye-bye, bunny."

The monster lunged. Judy kicked.

Several months of training at the ZPD Police Academy had toned her thighs to the point where a forceful smack from her feet could inflict serious damage, even when injured. Subconsciously noting the similarities between this escape and her traumatic encounter with Gideon Grey as a kid, she began crawling across the pit floor as the monster, yelping in pain at the attack, shook its head vigorously, clearly disoriented. It soon re-established its lock on her scent, tracking the enticing aroma of the bloody gash on her leg.

"Nick, please. It's me. Judy. Officer Hopps. _Carrots_."

Bellwether sneered. "What, you think this is some kind of clichéd fairytale where you can talk him down with a heartfelt speech and everyone lives happily ever after? Welcome to the real world, Judy. It's a cruel place."

The beast slashed at Judy, who instinctively held up an arm to shield her face, earning her a laceration on her elbow. Groaning in agony and briefly looking down at the wound, her eyes watered when she saw just how deep the incision was. Three distinct claw marks. Two limbs down. Nick was truly gone.

"Dog eat dog, Judy. Or in this case, fox eat rabbit. Quite a relevant metaphor, don't you think?"

The savage monster didn't let up, hacking away at the horrified bunny, who dodged each blow to the best of her ability. Her resolve was fading, but things clearly weren't moving fast enough for Bellwether, who rolled her eyes.

"What's wrong with you, you dumb mutt? It's a cute little rabbit. Kill her. Or am I gonna have to bop you with another round of rage juice?" She picked up the dart gun.

"Don't you dare!" Judy shrieked. This actually halted the fox for a moment. "The overdose would kill him. That stuff is toxic."

"Great. Both thorns plucked effortlessly from my side in one fell swoop. Can't ask for much more than that, can ya?"

"You're a psychopath."

"I'm a politician. We _all_ are, Judy."

Rearing its head, the beast slammed down one muscular paw and pinned Judy to the ground by the neck, as if sensing that if it didn't hurry up and finish her off it'd be getting shot again.

Judy closed her eyes, allowing her life to flash before them.

She thought of all the innocent citizens of Zootopia who would go on living under the oppressive, segregationist rule of Bellwether, all because she failed in her duty.

Of Clawhauser, Bogo and all the others at the ZPD who would (hopefully) mourn her demise.

Of Nick, the most loyal friend she'd ever had, converted into a snarling demon and murderer.

Perhaps most of all, she thought of her family. Her happy-go-lucky parents and 300 siblings, hundreds of miles away right now, who were unaware their daughter, whom they warned and begged not to pursue her dreams, was about to be killed. By a fox. When they found out (assuming they _ever_ found out) they'd spend the rest of their lives telling everyone who would listen that they were right. For all the wrong reasons.

 _So this is what it's come to._

She felt its hot, rapid breath heaving against her fur. She smelled Nick's familiar scent mingled with a foul, more primal aroma. She knew its jaws were inches from her neck. Speckles of drool splashed onto the matted fur of her ears.

 _So this is how I die._

And then everything became a blur.

Through the thick, fuzzy sensation ringing in her ears, she could make out the distant sound of sirens.

A frustrated shout.

A fiendish snarl.

Confused, Judy opened her eyes, and found herself looking directly into the savage maw of the monster. The last thing she knew was a bizarre prickling, burning sensation in her other thigh, before a blinding flash of teeth made everything go black.

* * *

 _ **Well, that's quite the development. I wasn't sure how graphic/emotional to make Nick's attack, but I figure I've gotten it down OK.**_

 _ **I'm not promising anything, but since I've already got the narrative route for this bad boy all planned out, I'll try and update daily. With that in mind, let's just say there are hints to pivotal later events hidden throughout this chapter, so when the fic is finished come back here to see all the clever foreshadowing I put in. Such diabolical genius!**_

 _ **Anyway, thanks for reading. Catch you next chapter.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**So before we jump headlong into the next exciting instalment of the story, I just wanted to take a moment to personally thank each and every one of you guys who have favourited/followed this. Seriously, I woke up this morning to 15+ follows, way more than I was anticipating, so if for any reason I ever needed extra motivation to keep turning these out, then I've got it. Not that I was demotivated in the first place, but a little bonus incentive can't hurt, right? Cheers!**_

 _ **Rights to Zootopia = sadly not mine. One of these days.**_

* * *

An intense white light seeped in through the cracks of Judy's eyelids as she slowly came to her senses.

She lay still for a while as her head cleared, and soon became aware of a coarse and springy sensation beneath her torso. _Wait, what?_

 _She was in a bed. What was she doing in bed?_

Blinking a few times, she allowed her eyes to adjust to the sudden brightness before shifting her weight onto her side. Or at least, she tried to.

A dull, but almost tear-inducing, pain wracked her lower leg as she did so, and it all came flooding back in an instant.

The encounter with Bellwether at the museum. Her crippling injury at the hands of a mammoth tusk. The Night Howler gun. Nick. _Nick. Oh, God._

"Nick!"

Lifting her head off the musty pillow, she snapped up straight, whimpering meekly in despair, and suddenly became fully aware of her environment, as though these memories had shaken her grogginess off her shoulders like an old overcoat.

She took in her surroundings; a slightly run-down, but clean, hospital room. Glancing downward, she saw the source of her discomfort – the injured leg was encased in several layers of antiseptic bandages, and her right elbow was connected to an overhanging IV drip where Nick – no, the _beast_ – had brutally clawed her. Funnily enough, her other leg felt perfectly normal. _Strange. She could have sworn she felt something hit it._

Her entire being burned with soreness, but she didn't care. _She didn't have time for this. She had to help Nick. She had to warn the city about Bellwether._ Agonizingly dragging together all the strength she could muster, she began tugging at the various tubes and restraints connected to her body, trying to loosen herself. Her efforts were halted, however, when a warm, level voice spoke out from the doorway.

"Ah. I see you've rejoined the living."

Judy looked over and saw a short water-vole in doctor's uniform had entered the room. She watched intently as he waddled across the floor and clambered into a chair by her bedside, before looking her sternly in the face.

"You gave us quite a scare there, Officer Hopps. You've been out for nearly ten hours."

 _Ten hours? Damn it,_ anything _could have happened in that kind of time!_ She resumed her desperate efforts to untether herself, but addressed the doctor all the same.

"You think _that's_ scary? Clearly you weren't on the scene last night. And I'm not technically _Officer_ Hopps anymore. That ship sailed a couple of weeks ago."

The vole chuckled, and calmly pushed her arm away from the tubes, thwarting her endeavour. Judy groaned in protest, but stung too badly to really resist. "Oh, well. A mere formality, really. What's important is that you're on the road to recovery."

Judy gulped, sighed, and fixed him with a steely gaze. "Alright. Where am I?"

"Savannah Central General Infirmary. You were referred to us following severe injuries as a result of a savage predator attack."

Her eyes narrowed. "Nick is not _savage_."

The vole raised an eyebrow, unconvinced, and looked down at his clipboard. "Multiple abrasions and bruises to the torso and upper chest. Severe lacerations across body, particularly on the right forearm and left leg. Possible head trauma." He tapped a pencil against the paper with every affliction he read out. "I'm not sure how else you could describe damage of that magnitude, Miss Hopps. You're lucky to be alive."

Judy made to respond, but then something clicked in her mind. She thought for a moment. "Wait. What happened at the crime scene?"

The doctor definitely looked uncomfortable now. He hesitated. "I haven't been made privy to the specifics, but as I understand it, ZPD troops arrived shortly after you lost consciousness. The predator was subdued by force, and you were retrieved by the officers and immediately put into intensive care." He straightened his glasses. "And a good thing, too. Your blood levels were critically low and your vitals weren't checking out."

Mentally, she cursed him for referring to Nick as 'the predator', but focused on the more pressing matter. "And... Mayor Bellwether? Was she arrested?"

A genuinely perturbed expression took over his face. He regarded her with confusion. "What _are_ you talking about?"

 _Uh-oh._ With greater clarity, she repeated: "Mayor Bellwether was responsible for turning the citizens feral. She and a group of underground accomplices were darting innocents with a serum that heightens an animal's natural predatory instincts. That's why Nick attacked me. That's why all the 30 other affected citizens inexplicably became murderous _psychos_." She accentuated her point with a dramatic flourish of her uninjured arm.

The doctor stood up in his chair, examining her more closely. He clearly thought she was losing it. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I don't follow in the slightest. Chief Bogo assured me that the crime scene had been swept, and that there had been no traces of any other people found there other than yourself and the attacker. Statistically, there's no way Mayor Bellwether could have been there, and certainly not in the capacity you suggest."

 _Oh, no. She'd hidden the evidence while Judy was out and fled. Nobody suspected a thing, and Nick took the fall. The perfect cover-up._

"But the _briefcase_!" By now Judy was gripping the bedsides tightly. She knew this guy probably felt uncomfortable, but she had to say her piece. "There was a case containing a dart gun in the museum! Bellwether used it to convert Nick! Her fingerprints will be all over it!"

The vole put a hand on her shoulder, and tried to adopt as considerate a tone as he could, given the circumstances. "Miss Hopps, I know you're under stress, but please try to be rational. As I've already said, no other evidence was found at the scene to suggest anything other than another regular savage attack had occurred, and besides, you're forgetting," he pushed his glasses up his nose, "Mayor Bellwether is a sheep. She has _hooves_. Even if such a weapon had been found, she would have left no fingerprints or forensically relevant evidence on it. These are very serious accusations you're making. Please try and calm down."

"No!" She wriggled out of his grasp. "Bellwether _made the call to the ZPD!_ "

He backed off, alarmed, but maintained his composure. "Yes, that is correct. She informed us she happened to be passing by the museum entrance when she was alerted to suspicious screams and crashes inside. That's when she phoned the police."

" _That's a lie!_ " Judy jumped up, severing her body's connection to the machinery at last. Red sparks danced before her eyes. She stood shakily upright on the bed, staring down the appalled doctor. Her leg burned like the dickens under her weight, but she couldn't believe Bellwether might actually be getting away with this.

"Miss Hopps, _please_. You cannot put yourself under this kind of physical exertion. You need _rest_. If you don't settle down I shall have to administer a sedative."

Judy disregarded him, her voice steadily rising. "I _know_ what I saw! Bellwether cornered Nick and I in a pit and shot him with the serum! And I've got all these little _souvenirs_ to prove it!" She motioned towards her bandages, then the clipboard.

The vole reached for a syringe containing a powerful muscle relaxant, but paused, hanging on a particular word she'd said. "You keep referring to a 'Nick'. Who is this?"

She deflated for a moment. _He couldn't be serious_. "What? Nick Wilde, my friend!"

A look of realisation dawned on his face. "Ah! Is that the attacker's name?"

Internally, she allowed herself a brief snicker. To be frank, she wasn't entirely sure herself. "Of course."

"Right. I shall have to make a note of that. You see, we couldn't find any means of identification or personal documentation on his person following detainment, and he wasn't in any criminal records, so we had quite literally no clue who he was. I'll run this downstairs once you're settled."

Another little chuckle. _That sounded like Nick alright. He probably – hold on._

"Downstairs?" Her eyes darted out the window. She could make out a parking lot. "But this is the ground floor."

The vole picked up the syringe for real this time, in preparation for the inevitable. "Miss Hopps..."

"He's here. He's _here_."

"Sit back down."

"You're keeping him in the _basement_."

"Please try and be reasonable-"

That was it. Grasping outwards with her functional arm, she grabbed a handful of his coat and stared fiercely. "Where is he?"

"There's no way-"

"Take me to him."

"I can't-"

"I have to _see_ him!"

Sensing that things had gone far enough, the doctor made up his mind. Judy's eyes rolled backwards into her head as the cursed needle pierced her skin.

Falling back onto the bed in what felt like slow-motion, for the second time in 24 hours she knew no more as her thoughts slipped into darkness.

* * *

 _ **Guess what, you lucky people? You'll be getting two chapters today! Reason being this chapter and number 3 initially started life as one giant part, but since the two halves are almost totally different in content and tone I figured they'd be more effective separate. Thus, you can look forward to a – probably shorter - update within the next 3 hours or so.**_

 _ **Again, my hearty thanks for all the wonderful feedback. It really helps fuel my newfound passion for writing this stuff.**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Well, here it is. As promised, the second update for today. I don't really have much to say, since I've said it all in Chapter 2, other than thanks for sticking around, and I hope you enjoy. Oh, and: this won't be a regular thing, updating twice a day. I**_ **have** _ **got other things to do, believe it or not. Not that I don't enjoy writing this. You know what I mean.**_

 _ **Zootopia still belongs to Disney. Don't worry, I'll keep you posted.**_

* * *

" _Tonight on ZNN!"_

Judy jerked awake, the anaesthetic having worn off. Bleary-eyed and feeling as though her head had been stuffed with cotton wool, she peered out the hospital window. Darkness. _Great. She'd wasted the entire afternoon in dreamland._

She rubbed her temples, and scanned the room. The vole doctor had left, but from what she could tell he'd locked the door, evidently anticipating she might try and make another break for it. Fat chance. She wanted to see Nick more than anything right now, but her body was _not_ cooperating.

Instead, she turned her attention to the ancient TV set propped up opposite her bed, the noise of which had jerked her out of her slumber. The evening news had just begun, and for want of anything better to do, Judy figured she might as well settle down to watch it. As she tucked herself comfortably beneath the starchy sheets, her nose began twitching eagerly of its own volition. She followed the sweet scent and discovered that a bowl of fruit had been left on her bedside table, presumably a gesture of goodwill from the doctor for when she woke up. Realizing how hungry she was, having not eaten a scrap of food since returning to Zootopia from Bunnyburrow, she ravenously grabbed hold of a pear and took a couple of bites. Not quite as juicy as the ones her parents grew, but then, how could it be? Chewing her meagre meal and, for the moment, content, she tuned into the TV.

The female leopard and male moose newscasters appeared typically solemn as they announced the headlines.

" _Breaking news; another savage attack has occurred today, this time striking deep into the heart of the city's defences_."

Judy swallowed the mushy fruit with an almighty gulp of trepidation. She knew where this was going.

" _Former ZPD Officer Judy Hopps has been hospitalized this afternoon, after suffering severe injuries at the vicious hands of a predatory mammal. It is understood the attacker was known to the victim, which has only fuelled the flames of fear already deeply ingrained into the populace during this darkest of times_."

Judy couldn't do anything but gawp in horror. The last thing she wanted was to be a martyr for the anti-predator movement.

" _This is the 32_ _nd_ _attack of its kind in the past month, marking the latest incident in a series of outbursts which have left scientists baffled, and former mayor Leodore Lionheart behind bars. Activists speculate that Hopps was specifically targeted due to her instigation of the debate following her press conference in which she noted a biological connection between the violence and members of the predator family_."

As still images of the muzzled animals were displayed on the screen, Judy's heart dropped several feet. No. No, no, _no! This wasn't how it was supposed to end!_

" _In a speech this afternoon, interim Mayor Dawn Bellwether directly addressed the attack, warning prey-group mammals to exercise caution in public areas_."

Her stomach constricted into a knot. An overwhelming sensation of dread washed through her core. Suddenly she didn't feel so hungry anymore. The pear slipped from her paw and splattered on the linoleum floor.

" _A great tragedy has struck Zootopia today_."

And there she was. Judy leaned in closer, burning contempt filling her soul as Bellwether appeared onscreen. She felt as though she was gazing into the belly of the beast, and yet to the untrained eye the ewe remained as outwardly placid as ever.

" _The injuries sustained by Judy Hopps, while truly saddening and deserving of our condolences-_ "

 _You lying_ witch _._

"- _must act as a warning sign to us all. This proves that not only are the attacks spreading at an alarming rate, and could happen to anyone at anytime, but also that there are clear holes in the city's defences if an authority figure, such as Officer Hopps, who commands such a great degree of respect, can be incapacitated so easily_."

Judy's ears drooped. Bellwether was turning her critical condition into political leverage. Plus, she was doing so with that irritating, acting-meek-and-spineless doddering about thing she did. Her apathy increased tenfold.

" _It's obvious to me, as a result, that in this regard there is a great need for reform; for the safety of the city, and also for that of the justice and integrity of those who dwell within_."

Judy, unable to tear her eyes from the screen, reached blindly for the remote. She couldn't watch anymore of this. It was making her physically ill. Bile was rising in her throat as she switched the accursed set off.

She sat in silence for a moment. How could Bellwether _sleep_ at night? Back in city hall, she had held Judy's paws, and Mrs. Otterton's, and probably at some point or another those belonging to the worried loved ones of all the other predators that _she_ had taken away, that _she_ had turned savage, and looked them deep in the eyes, smiling warmly and sincerely and assuring them that everything would be alright. In hindsight, her manipulation was emotionally crushing. And now she'd taken Nick too.

Judy drew her knees up to her chin, taking care to avoid damaging her cut, and rested her head on them, fighting back tears. _God, if Bogo could see her now._

A sudden knocking on the door brought her back to her senses. She didn't quite know how to respond, since the damn thing was locked and she could barely move, so she just kept silent as the door swung open and a doctor, a different one this time, pushed a wheelchair into the room.

"Good, you're awake." It was a deer, dressed in a similar outfit to the vole, though obviously a few sizes bigger. "How are you feeling?"

Judy could see that the doctor, a female, meant well, and so tried a weak smile. "About as well as I can be."

"Great to hear. I must say, it's not often we get to say we have a celebrity staying with us!"

She was clearly referring to the news. Judy's expression darkened. "I'd rather not talk about it."

The doctor took the hint, and hastily changed the subject. "OK, well... here's the thing. We've run a few checks, laid on some extra precautions, and we've decided that, if you like, it'd be alright for you to see your friend."

Judy's heart shot back up into her chest from whence it came. "Wait... you're saying I can see Nick?" She didn't want to count her chickens.

"Yes. But, fair warning: his condition hasn't improved. The last thing we want is for you to develop PTSD from the shock. The choice is yours and yours alone. We're not gonna force you. D'you think you can handle it?"

The sheer tidal wave of elation she experienced quickly overrode any brief uncertainty she might, in some tiny part of her subconscious, have been feeling. "Absolutely. Let's do it."

The doctor chortled. "Somehow I knew you'd say that. Still, it's your funeral." Judy froze. "It's a joke, hon. I'm not gonna _feed_ you to the poor devil."

Very glad to hear this, Judy allowed herself to be hoisted out of bed and into the wheelchair.

* * *

Soon the pair were speeding down the sleek, shiny hallways of the General Infirmary. The deer, who identified herself as Karen, proved to be a talkative sort, and engaged in idle banter on the way. Judy zoned her out, and set about mentally preparing herself to see the monster again. _How bad a state would he be in?_

Eventually, Karen arrived at a reinforced steel door at the back of a room towards the south wing of the hospital. An unmissably garish sign above read: 'NO UNAUTHORISED PERSONNEL ADMITTED. POSSIBILITY OF CONTAMINATION.'

Judy faltered in her chair. "Shouldn't we be wearing protective gear, or something?"

Karen appeared to pause for a few seconds, as if calculating how best to respond. "That's taken care of."

The rabbit felt it best to withhold any further questions as Karen keyed in a security code and the large slab of metal slid aside to admit them into an elevator. Judy examined the walls of the lift. There was only one button. It was marked 'Holding Cells'.

The two of them fell into a mutual, but uncomfortable, silence as the elevator descended, remarkably silently, into the bowels of the facility. The only indication that they'd reached their destination was a noticeable impact against the floor. No 'ding' or anything of that sort. This was evidently an immensely covert operation. Despite herself, Judy couldn't help but swell a little with pride at the fact she was seeing something probably very few mammals in Zootopia had ever, or would ever, see.

The only occupants of the long, foreboding corridor were two badger scientists who rushed to greet Karen and Judy in a very efficacious manner. An almost-spent lightbulb swung overhead, the sole light source in these catacombs.

"Greetings, you two. The subject is ready for inspection. He has been partially sedated so as to reduce the risk of further injury as far as conceivably possible. Every precaution has been taken to ensure your safety. Please try not to aggravate him."

Although a little difficult for Judy to swallow all at once, she nodded solemnly. If this is what it took, so be it.

Karen gave a respectful nod to the scientists and pushed Judy down the long hallway, towards an almost pitch-black cell at the far end. The rabbit looked around her in awe; lining the walls were a great many glass-walled, padded containment chambers, all prominently featuring a single post in the centre and deep claw marks etched into the floor and walls. Clearly, this was the location used to house predators gone savage before transport to rehabilitation, where she had brought Mrs. Otterton to see her husband. Or at least, what was left of him. In many ways, Judy was about to have the tables turned on her; she would soon be in Mrs. Otterton's shoes.

Roughly 2 metres from the final cell, Karen stopped, and heaved Judy to her feet. "Alright, sweetie. Up you come. There you go..."

Judy stumbled a little, unbalanced, but rested one paw against a wall and was just about able to right herself. With a little upper body support, she'd be able to walk long enough to get a good look at Nick. It'd probably help the healing process, too.

"You OK?" A nod of confirmation. "Alright. I'll give you five minutes."

Judy half-staggered, half-hopped over to the big glass viewing window of the enclosure, and pressed her muzzle up against it. The inside was almost completely black. Her eyes darted left to right, top to bottom, trying to catch a fleeting glimpse of her partner.

And then the single lightbulb behind her swung in just the right way, and she saw him.

Her heart almost broke at the sight. Eyes glazed and utterly devoid of the charming spark she'd grown to love. Mangy fur matted and unkempt, with obvious patched of dried blood - _her_ blood. Foaming, drooling at the mouth. Razor-sharp teeth and claws bared. Judy gazed in anguish at Nick, and the monster gazed back.

She knew he couldn't hear her – in fact, she was thankful he couldn't – but felt compelled to speak to him all the same.

"Hey, Nick. It's me. Judy. You know, Carrots." She sniffled a little.

The monster, apparently sensing it was being referred to, pricked up its ears and audibly snarled.

"Yeah, I know. Heh. I kinda messed things up, didn't I?"

A blank, unfeeling stare of pure rage was her only response.

 _Don't blame yourself, Carrots. I should have listened._

Judy's heart was beating a hundred miles a minute. She knew it – no, _he_ – wasn't really talking to her, but she could imagine, almost hear, his answers anyway.

"So I guess we'll both take the blame for this one and call it even, huh?"

The monster tilted its head inquisitively and neared the window.

 _C'mon, you know me. I don't do compromises._

Hot tears welled up in her eyes. This was going to kill her.

"Look. You can't hear me-"

 _Are you kidding? You don't get rid of me that easily._

"- but I guess I just wanted to say... thank you."

 _You got a lot to thank me for, sweetheart. You're gonna have to be more specific._

"For... for being there with me every step of the way. For keeping me sane when everyone and everything else around me was going crazy. For sticking up for me in the face of hate and prejudice, too."

 _That last one was mostly your fault._

The tears were out in full force now.

"But... but mostly, for forgiving me. You had every reason to abandon me and walk away from under that bridge, pretending that you never met me, never knew me and never had anything to do with me. To erase me from the history books completely. I wouldn't have blamed you. But you didn't. And I don't know what in God's name I ever did to deserve your forgiveness, but just know that I'm truly, truly thankful for it, and I'm sorry..." another sniffle, "...I'm sorry things turned out this way." Her voice quivered, and silence reigned for a while.

Judy pressed her paw up onto the glass, and the monster finally made a move. Tempered only slightly by the sedatives, it scratched violently at the window, making Judy jump back in fright _. You idiot. You let yourself believe he was still in there._

 _Like I said, you dumb bunny. My number ain't up yet. I've just... lost control of the ship for the time being._

That was the final straw. Judy pounded a single fist against the window, the monster lashed out at the pane once more, and it was then that she noticed the shackle. Attached to his back-left paw was a stainless-steel chain connected to a post not unlike those in all the other cells. If her heart wasn't broken before, it was shattered now.

 _Pick up the pieces, Judy. It might take a while, and you're gonna have to do it one by one, but you can clean this mess up._

"I-"

"Miss Hopps."

Judy looked around tearfully and saw Karen beckoning her back to the chair. "We really should be going. The authorities are arriving soon to prep him for transport. We can't be here during that."

Oh, _crap_. That had totally slipped her mind. Once he passed the preliminary tests, he was going to be moved to rehab where they'd be blindly pumping God-knows-what into him, blissfully unaware that the cause – and the _culprit_ – was right under their noses. But the vole was right; without any tangible evidence, she was powerless against Bellwether; unable to save Nick.

And then the gears in her mind aligned. Though it flew in the face of everything she believed in, everything she'd worked for and everything she valued, she knew what she had to do.

She fixed her eyes on the monster and whispered under her breath.

"Nick. I'm going to get you out of here. I swear it."

The beast flashed its fangs, then retreated into the darkness of the cell, flicking its tail erratically.

 _That's the spirit, Carrots. You owe me._

She took one last longing look into the black void, and then allowed herself to be whisked away again.

On the way, she put her head in her hands. Beneath the emotional torment of what she had just seen, her resolve was growing ever stronger.

She meant what she said.

 _I'll hold you to it._

* * *

 _ **Well, ironically this ended up being way longer than Chapter 2. I guess that's just the way the jumbo-pop crumbles. Or melts. Whatever.**_

 _ **Anyhoo, again, I'm really enjoying writing this, and getting the rapport down between Judy and Nick/Judy's inner voice playing Nick was a fun challenge to take on. I hope I've done you guys proud.**_

 _ **Reviews and feedback are, again, greatly appreciated. See you next chapter.**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**Here we are again. As promised, your daily dose of the story.**_

 _ **Once more I'm dumbstruck by the sheer level of warm reception this fanfic has been receiving – almost at 30 followers now, which is**_ **insane** _ **and way beyond what I'd ever hoped for – and it's this encouragement, on top my natural pluck of course, that's keeping me writing. To all, my thanks.**_

 _ **Just had a call from my agent; Disney isn't giving up Zootopia's rights just yet.**_

* * *

For the next few, largely sleepless nights, Judy's slumber was plagued with horrific visions of the past week's events.

Nightmares in which the overbearing, silhouetted form of Dawn Bellwether appeared before her with murderous intent, then morphed slowly into the smaller, but no less terrifying, shadow of the monster. By the fourth 1 A.M. awakening, gasping and in a cold sweat, she was fully aware of the fact that her subconscious was trying to tell her something; trying to push one thought to the forefront of her psyche. The worst part was that she knew exactly what that something was.

By day, Judy had been observing the comings and goings of the hospital staff, and had collected a veritable treasure trove of valuable information about the intricacies of her surroundings. She discovered, for instance, that her old police uniform had been transported to her room from the ZPD, and was being kept in a cupboard opposite her bed – presumably a gesture of goodwill from Bogo, a token to remind her she would be welcome back once she healed.

Healing. That was something else she was focusing a lot of her energy on lately. A couple days after her visit to Nick, she could, for the most part, walk on her injured leg, albeit with a great deal of discomfort. She was assured that her clawed arm would be out of commission for much longer owing to the depth of the laceration.

In short, she was gradually returning to a state in which she felt she could plausibly enact her plan to break out Nick; a goal she had by now totally resigned herself to.

 _That's what I like about you, Carrots. You're a fighter._

It was just a matter of biding her time. All she knew was that the longer she waited, the tighter Bellwether's grip on the already-divided city would become, and the less time she would have before Nick was moved elsewhere, to another place where she had even less hope of recovering him.

Hell, she wasn't even entirely sure how she was going to recover him from _here_.

She just needed more time.

But then, one fateful evening, the decision was made for her.

The distinct sound of wheels crunching gravel caused her ears to prick up. Throwing off her starchy duvet and carefully lowering her damaged foot to the ground, she jogged to the window and peered out.

An unmarked black van, not unlike that which had transported Mr. Manchas to Cliffside Asylum, had pulled up outside. Judy's stomach felt like it was filling with lead as she watched one of the vehicle's two occupants, a rough-looking bison dressed in unarresting but authoritative black clothes, exit the van and head towards the entrance of the hospital.

 _They were here for him._

 _No, no,_ no _. Not_ now _!_

Within seconds, she had pulled on her daytime plainclothes and hopped lamely in the direction of the (now courteously unlocked) door. But something else moving outside caught her attention, and she stopped herself, looking out the window once more, cautiously this time.

The second passenger had climbed out. Thick white fur, squinted eyes and garish blue uniform. She recognised him immediately.

One of Bellwether's ram henchmen from the natural history museum.

Borderline hyperventilating, her eyes flitted downwards to see what was unmistakably a tranquiliser rifle in his right paw.

They were here for _her._

Or, more specifically, _he_ was.

Heart in her throat and adrenaline coursing through her veins, Judy scrambled as fast as conceivably possible to the door. In her mind, she connected the dots. Bellwether had likely sent one of her men alongside Nick's official escort to discretely retrieve her before she could reveal anything.

Suddenly hyper-conscious of the time constraints she was working with, Judy pushed open the door and let it swing shut behind her with a dull thud. Flattening one ear against her head, she lifted the other as high as it would go so as to channel all noise into it like juice through a concentrator. With some effort, she tuned out all the other general noises throughout the building and tried to pinpoint the location of the mercenaries; she needed to keep track of her adversaries if she was going to make a clean sweep of this.

Having ascertained that the men were still introducing themselves to the disgruntled receptionist, Judy scampered down the dimly lit hallways, limping occasionally when the pain in her leg bubbled too close to the surface. Her destination was crystal clear in her mind; the route burned into her memory by a psychological branding iron heated with her determination.

Footsteps a few corridors over. The men were heading in her direction. She had about 3 minutes to spare.

Soon it loomed before her; the door to the containment cells. Nick was tantalisingly close.

Mercifully, the security keypad for the elevator that Karen had interacted with just days earlier had been placed at a level convenient for all mammals – presumably so employees such as the vole could have access – and Judy punched in the four-digit code, which she'd made a mental note of on the evening she was brought to see Nick. _That's another thing bunnies were good at. Remembering. That and multiplying._

The door slid open just as the men rounded the corner of the hallway. Judy hoped against hope that she hadn't been seen as she staggered into the lift and, using the handrail as a brace, hoisted herself up to press the button. _She could hardly have_ jumped _up there_.

The last thing she heard before the evidently soundproof doors closed was a cacophony of confused shouts echoing down the passage.

 _They'd seen her. Of f***ing_ course _they had._

Tapping her foot anxiously, she massaged her sore leg as the elevator descended, and ran out with a noticeably renewed vigour when it hit ground zero.

Unlike the other night, the complex was completely unoccupied. As she approached the far cell, which remained unlit, a terrible possibility occurred to her. _What if he'd been moved already?_

 _Damn it, Nick. You'd better be here._

She was jerked sharply out of her contemplation as the elevator doors slammed, and she heard it begin travelling back up to the ground floor. They'd called it. She had minutes, if that.

Reaching Nick's cell, she peered inside. He was still present, but in a far worse state than he had been in the other night. He made no effort to lunge for her; didn't even appear to notice her, an expressionless, empty visage in place of his usual grin.

His wiry frame had thinned substantially from malnutrition, allowing his ribcage to become visible through the dishevelled fur of his torso, and it was obvious he hadn't been cleaned. In fact, the only evidence he'd been physically interacted with at all since his capture was a series of plasters on his stomach – marking the spots where surgical instruments had invaded his body, probing his bloodstream for answers. Answers that _she_ was privy to.

Her stoic expression slackened into a distraught one. "Oh, Nick..."

 _Took you long enough, Carrots._

More compelled than ever to accomplish her task, Judy surveyed the corridor for anything she could use.

The elevator was halfway down the shaft.

A solid-looking cylindrical object caught her eye. A fire extinguisher. Perfect.

She ripped it from its pedestal using what remained of her upper body strength, and lifted it onto her shoulder, aiming her body at the glass window of the enclosure.

 _Sorry, Nick. This might sting a little._

 _I've lived through worse._

 _Crack_. The pane proved to be surprisingly frail, and began to shatter in places, but did not break.

Judy stumbled backwards from the impact and gasped as her arm ached in protest. She wasn't sure if she had the strength to lift the extinguisher again, but persevered, bringing it down hard a second time.

The elation of hearing the glass finally break was soon overruled by the sound of the elevator touching down.

Shards of glass rained down around her, some catching her fur and cutting her skin in places. She heard Nick yelp a few times from within the darkness, indicating the same had happened to him.

 _Turns out solitary confinement ain't the ritzy accommodation it's cracked up to be._

"I can believe it."

She instantly regretted her decision to speak when the monster, clearly having finally worked out that the creature stood just metres from it was edible, snapped at the air inches from her body.

Alarmed, she considered her options for a moment. She'd come this far. She wasn't going to let Nick be taken away.

Over her dead body.

 _Hey, Fluff. Don't drop those kinda hints. Sends the wrong message to a guy._

She stepped inside the cell.

The monster, apparently disturbed by this sudden act of bravery, raised its hackles and growled from the back of its throat, but rooted itself to the spot as Judy circled round the enclosure, holding out her paws in what she hoped would be interpreted as a soothing gesture.

"Easy. Easy, big guy."

 _Why, Officer Hopps, are you coming on to me?_

"Hopps."

Forgetting for a brief moment that she was face to face with a potential murderer, Judy's head swivelled round. The bison had exited the lift and was walking swiftly down the passageway, followed in regimental fashion by the ram.

Judy continued unfazed, seizing her opportunity to draw closer to the shackle post while the monster was distracted by the men; people it saw, she assumed, as choicer offerings than herself. In a way, she was kind of insulted.

The bison stood erect, staring hard at the duo in the cell.

"Stand down."

"You don't understand. Your scientists won't find anything different than the other 30 cases. The cause is something you're not looking for. Something you aren't testing for."

An unconvinced snort. "Am I to assume from this bold declaration that you know the reason behind the recent savage attacks? The reason that, even after weeks of sweat and toil, has not been produced by even the best forensic analysts in Zootopia?"

Of course she _knew_ , but she wasn't about to let on so. If she revealed anything too soon, they'd put her out like a light and take her away for questioning – probably to Bellwether - leaving Nick in their grasp.

"Let's just say it has less to do with biology than you might think." Her paw was on the chain. The monster still didn't react.

He appeared intrigued now. Behind him, Bellwether's henchman raised his tranquiliser gun, as if in warning. If she tried to spill the truth, he would silence her in an instant. That would be the end.

"But you yourself said publically that-"

Her voice grew louder and terser. " _I know what I said_."

This got a reaction out of it. The beast whirled around and rounded on her, its fangs bared and its ears inclined in her direction.

 _I'm with you on this one, Carrots. You did. You did say those things._

Sensing it was now or never, she dived for the post, lifting the end of the chain connected to it up and over the top.

The monster was loose.

Nick was _free_.

" _Hopps_!"

The bison and ram entered the cell immediately.

"Stay back!" Judy raised a paw to the men in warning. Her eyes darted between the rifle poised in the ram's hands and the monster's grizzled maw, now unrestrained by its shackle. Never before had she looked death so squarely in the face, let alone with such a bizarre _fondness._

She backed up slowly as Nick advanced, one of her arms raised higher than the other for obvious reasons, and soon found herself pressed up against the wall of the cell. She felt a breeze beneath her feet. _What?_

Hesitant to take her eyes off the beast for even a second, she looked down at the ground. She was standing on a ventilation grate, the loose kind designed to be easily flipped over for inspection and maintenance. The right amount of pressure would send her tumbling through. It had been constructed to withstand the average mammal's weight. _But both of them..._

 _Are you saying I'm heavy?_

Her way out.

The bison raised a stun gun, trained on Nick, while the ram cocked his tranquiliser just a metre behind him.

"Officer Hopps, _please_. You don't know what you're dealing with. This is not _safe_."

"I know exactly who I'm dealing with." She looked into the monster's eyes. "A little too well."

 _Easy, tiger. Not really the moment for it._

"This animal is a threat to the city. It needs to be contained."

"What, and chaining him up in a basement doesn't _count_?" she spat, stunned at his lack of empathy.

Wait a minute. _Contained_. Subdued. Sedated. That was _it_.

She took a deep breath.

"Officer Hopps. If you are withholding information pertinent to this case, please _divulge it_!"

"Alright. I'll tell you." The ram stiffened. Judy closed her eyes. The monster readied its attack, sizing up its prey.

"The person responsible for the attacks is May-"

The dart was fired. Within seconds, Judy was on the ground. And, after a moment, so too was Nick. But only one of them was conscious.

She couldn't believe her luck. She'd tricked him into practically giftwrapping Nick for her. Smugly, she allowed herself a brief moment of respite as she imagined him having to apologise to Bellwether later for screwing up.

The bison rounded on his partner, not expecting the shot; as Judy had suspected. "What are you _doing_?"

While his back was turned, Judy channelled all her strength into her functional arm and, seizing hold of Nick's mangy ruff, dragged him into position on the grate. She didn't know how long the anaesthetic would last.

She cleared her throat. "You might want to tell Chief Bogo a serious rearrangement of the ZPD may be in order."

"What did you say?" The bison had turned his attention back to her.

"Just tell him from me he has cause to doubt the integrity of his force at the moment." She glanced pointedly at the ram. Both men failed to notice this unsubtle hint. "He's looking in all the wrong places."

The beast stirred a little. _Already?_

 _I'm a light sleeper, Carrots. The freeloading lifestyle kinda beats that into you._

The bison, clearly frustrated with these cryptic responses, brandished a pair of handcuffs. "This has gone far enough. Judy Hopps: for wilfully withholding crucial legal information, attempts to release a committed mammal, and breaking and entering a restricted federal area, I'm placing you under-"

But he didn't have time to finish. Making use of her naturally powerful thighs, Judy slammed her uninjured foot down onto the grate, and she and the monster whirled downwards into the darkness.

 _Great job. This better not lead to a furnace._

* * *

 _ **Another day, another chapter. The main crux of the story was always going to be Judy breaking Nick out and the two fighting for survival together while on the run – including against each other – but I wasn't quite sure at the outset how to set that up. I hope it all made sense.**_

 _ **The core narrative meat, as well as a check-in with some other key characters, is a-coming up soon, so stick around. And if you**_ **do** _ **stick around, a review or two wouldn't go amiss. Always nice to see!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5 incoming. This one is likely going to be a tad shorter than the last few instalments as I wanted to deal with a very specific arc and develop some of the side characters before advancing into the main act of the plot, but hopefully it will be no less interesting.**_

 _ **I was a bit worried that my portrayal of Judy and Nick's escape in the last chapter would come across as contrived, but if the warm responses are anything to go by, my fears were groundless. Thanks again to everyone who's reading, following and favouriting this sucker. It makes my day.**_

 _ **Disney's really protective of Zootopia at the moment. As a result, the rights are still not mine.**_

* * *

"You wanted to see me, Mayor Bellwether?"

A meaty hoof pushed open the door to the main office of Zootopia City Hall.

"I did indeed, Chief Bogo. Come right on in."

Bogo crossed the threshold and took in his surroundings. The last time he had been in here, he'd been too preoccupied with Officer Hopps's sudden decision to resign, and thus had not noticed the changes the new mayor had begun to make to the room. Now, however, on his second visit the fruits of her labours were garishly apparent. The spot where a vast window overlooking the city had once occupied the far wall was now covered over and populated with a wide array of file cabinets overflowing with paperwork.

Some homelier nuances also had been applied, such as embroidered paintings on the walls, and a tall desk lamp overlooked the newly-varnished table, acting as the room's main light source. Most strikingly, what appeared to be at least a hundred unchecked post-it notes were stuck onto the desk and around Bellwether's computer monitor, and Bogo craned his neck to discover that most of them were reminders of innocuous tasks like "CANCEL NEWSPAPER SUBSCRIPTION" and "CONFIRM MEETING WITH DOUG." It took all of his self-control not to sneer at the gross disorganisation on display here.

Finally, his gaze came to rest on the diminutive sheep sat behind the desk, her chair, one of the few remaining carryovers from Lionheart's term, cranked up as high as it would go. She ushered him closer with a friendly beckoning motion with her hoof.

"Have a seat, Chief. We've got a lot to discuss."

The buffalo settled himself in the distinctly cheaper plastic chair opposite Bellwether.

"I hope this isn't going to take long."

"We're talking about the safety of the city here. Surely you've got all the time in the world for that?"

A snort of concession.

"So." Bellwether adjusted her glasses and fixed Bogo with her best impression of a look of concern. "I imagine you saw the news the other night. My little speech. I mean, I thought I pulled it off pretty well, not to brag."

Bogo raised an eyebrow. "An exemplary display of eloquence, ma'am."

A strained little laugh. "Yeah, I thought so too. Anyway, point being; the recent attacks plaguing the city have thrown certain... inadequacies into light. Every day, more and more predators are turning savage. The people are terrified. We can't expect them to go on living like this."

Bogo crossed his arms. "With all due respect, Mayor, we've recently seen a sharp decline in feral cases. The last reported incident was the attack on Judy Hopps at the natural history museum which, I'll remind you, was brought under control shortly thereafter by _my_ troops."

Bellwether smiled warmly, but cursed in her head. _She knew exactly why the numbers were dropping._

"I don't doubt the ability of your forces, Chief. But you can't deny that it's worrying if such a prominent figure like Officer Hopps can be taken down for the count just like that."

"Judy Hopps was no longer in the force at the time of the attack. Technically speaking, she wasn't an officer anymore."

"D'you think that mattered to the perpetrator? Claws bared, teeth primed and ready to sink themselves into her neck? Because I don't believe for a second that she'd have been spared had she been wearing a blue vest and a badge."

 _Damn right she wouldn't have been._

Bogo changed the subject, slightly disturbed by the unnecessary detail with which she was describing the incident. "In your speech you mentioned that reforms were due to be made to the city's defences. I'm guessing that's why you called me here."

"Ah, now it's funny you should bring that up." Bellwether rummaged around in a desk drawer for a few moments and produced a sleek black file containing several sheets of paper, which she pushed across the desk to the buffalo. He looked down at it, and saw that it was marked 'Predatory Regulation Ordinance' and had been adorned, somewhat flamboyantly, with a picture of a purplish flower. To him, it was just another of the mayor's numerous eccentricities.

To her, it was a symbol of victory.

"What's this?"

"You were right on the money, Chief. I brought you here to request final approval on my propositions. I guess that's why they made you head of the force, huh?" She chuckled. "Great detective skills."

She didn't really need his approval in the slightest, and could easily veto any objections, but she thought it only fair to give him the illusion of advance warning _. Plus, it kind of added to the fun._

"The future of Zootopia as a united body is at stake. We can't allow these violent outbursts to continue unchecked, ad nauseum." She accentuated her point with a few well-placed endearing flails of her arms. "If we're going to take action, it has to be drastic, and it has to be _now_. Everything hangs in the balance."

He opened the file and lowered his reading glasses onto his snout. A tense silence overpowered the room as he flicked past the first few pages of the treatise to the relevant section.

"Bureaucracy, am I right? Such a drag." A near-futile attempt on her part to defuse the reaction she knew was coming.

Agonising quiet.

The ewe watched as, over the course of a few minutes, Bogo's eyes darted from left to right, slowly absorbing the contents of the file. She knew which part he'd reached when his eyes widened, his jaw noticeably dropped, and his pupils began flicking back and forth over the same line of text, as if ensuring he'd read it right. After this, his eyes shot straight back up to the top of the page, and worked their way back down the sheet, much hastier this time. Once he was finished, Bogo inhaled deeply, closed his eyes, and placed the document back on the desk with obvious restraint.

"No."

"I'm sorry?"

His eyes opened and glared directly into Bellwether's, burning with an anger he knew full well he couldn't articulate with speech. " _No_."

"I take it you have some issues." _No matter._

"What you're proposing, it's... it's unthinkable. It's _inhumane_."

"Desperate times call for desperate measures."

Unable to control himself, the buffalo shot up out of his seat. "Don't you _dare_. For three weeks now, you have been claiming to be the figurehead of a democratic, harmonious society in which no mammal need live in fear. And yet all I, or any other resident of this city, has seen you do since you took up office is sit behind that desk, or behind a camera, and spout rhetoric."

Bellwether flinched a little at his sudden movement, not forgetting even for a moment that he was at least three times her size, but maintained a level tone of voice all the same. "Chief Bogo, _please_. Remember your place. You are hardly in a position to criticize the upper echelons for suggesting something _you_ personally take offence to. This is about the bigger picture."

But Bogo was not about to be talked down. He picked up the file again and brandished it fiercely. "And then, when the responsibility finally falls before you to make a pivotal decision dealing with one of the biggest serial catastrophes of our time, you come out with _this_." He thrust it at her accusingly. She took it meekly and filed it away before he could get to the inevitable stage of tearing it.

"Bogo, people are _dying_."

This triggered something in the buffalo, who slammed his hooves down onto the desk, scattering a fair few post-it notes in the process. " _Not yet_ , they aren't. But that's no thanks to _you_. It's only _my_ officers that are keeping any kind of lid on all this. Keeping it from becoming a _bloodbath_."

Bellwether, sensing that she had perhaps overstepped the mark, held up her arms in mock surrender and executed a verbal backspace. "Present tense, Chief. They're not dead _yet_. But it really would be better if they were more than only 50% alive right now, huh?"

His eyes narrowed. She saw the ideal opportunity to twist the knife even further.

"And it's interesting you keep bringing up how _brilliant_ your forces are. Forces that, I'll remind _you_ , are almost entirely comprised of predators."

The subtext was glaringly obvious. Bogo's voiced raised to a shout. "I will _not_ have you questioning the integrity of the ZPD! Those brave men and women do more work to protect this city in an afternoon than you have done in the entire period since Lionheart was jailed."

The cheery smile faded from Bellwether's face. "And how do you think the people of Zootopia feel knowing that at any moment, the very animals who swore to protect them from the savages could become one themselves?"

 _Note to self: once everything's been sorted out, have Doug dart a couple of ZPD officers._

Bogo executed the pent-up sneer he so desperately wanted to unleash earlier. "Well, you took care of _that_ , didn't you? Most of the force's predators have been moved to non-public vocations at _your_ behest. Benjamin Clawhauser, quite possibly the most sickeningly twee individual on the planet, currently occupies your decrepit old boiler room office on the unremarkable grounds that he is a _cheetah_. I do have to wonder whether your personal values are beginning to interfere with your business interests."

Bellwether swallowed. _Was he onto her?_

She still had one major card left to play. The henchman that she had sent to retrieve Judy from the hospital had secretly radioed ahead of the bison to inform her that Hopps had escaped with the predator and had even tried to disclose the truth _. Of course she had._

"But you're forgetting something, Chief. Right now, you have _cause_ to doubt the integrity of the ZPD." The ram had told her everything Judy had said. In a way, she was fulfilling the rabbit's wish by relaying her exact message to Bogo.

"Not nearly as much reason as I now have to question that of City Hall."

Unfazed, Bellwether clasped her hooves together authoritatively. "Haven't you heard? Judy Hopps liberated the savage predator responsible for her hospitalisation and fled the establishment with it in tow this very evening."

This knocked Bogo sideways. He tilted his head. "What? That can't be true. I know Hopps; she's a little hotheaded, but not a felon."

"It's all right here, Chief. You wanna hear the phone call? I can play the recording back for you." She gestured towards her answerphone; however, not wanting to actually reveal her undercover agent, she was banking on him saying-

"No. I've heard enough from you. Until I get eyewitness reports from my _own_ officers, Hopps remains out of this discussion. Besides, irrespective of her actions, if they be true, it doesn't change the fact that you have just revealed yourself in the past half an hour to be the greatest threat to Zootopia's peace to come around in several years."

He was probably being hyperbolic, but she felt a deep sense of satisfaction at the fact that he didn't even know the half of it.

She went in for the kill.

"Perhaps it's time to consider the possibility that, based on this evidence, Judy Hopps may be conspiring with the predators to launch the assa-"

"That's _enough_!" Bogo was on his feet again. "Hopps is a beacon of pioneering spirit. She found _all 14_ missing mammals, solving a case that the combined efforts of the ZPD hadn't cracked in _weeks_."

Bellwether pushed her glasses up her nose and gave a gratuitous little dodder for added effect. "Please think it through rationally, Bogo. Judy has every reason to side with the carnivores on this one. The closest companion she's had since coming to Zootopia has been a fox. And now, despite it contradicting of all her training and everything she claimed at that press conference to stand for, she releases selfsame fox, uncontrollable and dangerous, out into the city from within the bowels of a secure facility. Something about that doesn't sit right."

Bogo consumed this argument with a reluctant attentiveness. Bellwether couldn't resist a small smirk.

 _Fantastic. Hopps takes the fall, and every officer in the ZPD gets put on her trail-_

"I'm not buying it."

 _Damn it_.

She faltered a little. "It all falls into place when you look at it my way, Bogo."

The two sat in abject silence for a while. Bogo's face was a kaleidoscope of emotions, the gears in his mind evidently turning as he mulled everything over. After a couple of minutes, Bogo eyed Bellwether with a steely glare.

"I won't allow you to go through with this."

Another readjustment of her glasses. "Well, thanks. I'll take that into consideration."

 _Like he had any say in the matter._

A few more minutes of silence. The sounds of city hall, still tirelessly busy even at this hour, rang in their ears. Bogo spoke first in a tone of finality.

"Will that be all?"

Bellwether clambered down off her chair and, with some difficulty, pulled open the office door to signal to him it was time to leave. "You know, I think it will. Good talk, Chief."

Bogo stood, and crossed to the exit. With one hoof on the door handle, he looked the ewe directly in the muzzle.

"There's a very fine line between harmony and a dictatorship. For all of our sakes, I hope you will not cross it."

Bellwether blinked. "I'm just trying to protect the city."

"That's exactly what Leodore Lionheart said the night he was arrested."

This threw her for a loop. _The difference was Lionheart had meant it._

Unable to compose a suitably deceptive response, she simply motioned out the door. "Good evening, Bogo."

He gave her one last wistful, analytical stare, and then he was gone.

Bellwether breathed a sigh of relief, and retreated to her office, where she began pacing.

The secondary reason behind the meeting had been to gauge where Bogo's loyalties lay. It was clear to her now that he wasn't going to be playing ball.

 _The clock was ticking. With Doug's Night Howler lab trashed courtesy of Judy, the number of predator cases was drying up, and it was surely only a matter of time before the cause was discovered and the dust settled, the fear died down. She'd be booted out of office without a solid manifesto._

 _Sure, she had a few reserve stocks of serum, but after that, who knew?_

 _And even worse, Hopps was still out there, walking around in public and liable to come forward with the truth at practically any moment._

She crossed to the desk and extracted the black file from earlier, opening it to the page Bogo had taken umbrage at.

At that moment, she only knew two things _._

 _One: this bill would be passed within the week. She'd make sure of that._

But the other thing was more important.

 _Two: Judy Hopps was going to be knocked out of the picture._

* * *

 _ **I hope you didn't mind checking in with Bogo and Bellwether this time around. They're going to be pretty integral later on, so I thought it wise to establish their characters/motives a little more solidly here before moving forward with the Judy/Nick arc.**_

 _ **Oh, and about the daily updates; as one kind reviewer so accurately noted, it's a huge commitment, and as we get into the following weeks they might have to be every other day if my workload piles too high.**_

 _ **Still, I'm gonna try and keep 'em coming, and if you guys keep reading 'em, that's all the motivation I really need. Cheers.**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**You ain't getting rid of me so easily. Here comes another chapter, if a little later than usual, for your reading pleasure. I'm afraid it's kind of short, but as I note at the end, tomorrow's will more than make up for it.**_

 _ **So I woke up this morning to check on the story's status and I see it's skyrocketed up to over 50 follows in a single afternoon/evening, which just amazes me. It's such a satisfying feeling, knowing that half a hundred people, at least, are out there somewhere in the wild blue yonder who consider my humble writings worth the time of day.**_

 _ **Funny story: I tried raiding the Walt Disney offices today to demand the rights to Zootopia. I'm now writing this in court. Upshot of it all is, I still don't own the movie. Next time.**_

* * *

Minuscule chinks of light marking cracks in the vent walls flickered past Judy's face at breakneck speed as she and the unconscious Nick tumbled down the shaft – a sign they were nearing the bottom, where maintenance was rarely performed.

Owing to his naturally larger bulk, the fox's body had reached a greater terminal velocity than hers, and so he landed first with a dull metallic thud, his limp form splaying out across the floor of the bottommost vent.

Judy braced herself for impact as the unforgiving stainless-steel surface approached, closing her eyes and tucking her bad leg as close to her body as possible. Mercifully, Nick's torso proved to be a malleable landing pad of sorts, and though she smacked into his back with a great deal of downward momentum, she was able to roll off him bruised, but largely unscathed.

Getting down on her paws and knees – the claustrophobic passage, understandably having been designed without daring escapes in mind, was too small even for her slight build to stand up – she rotated her body to face Nick and found herself almost nose-to-nose with the frightful maw of the monster, now twitching vigorously in an alarming fashion.

Judy suppressed a gasp, and was once more silently thankful that she'd had the foresight to have him sedated before breaking him out. If she had somehow gotten him down here conscious, she wouldn't be having this moment of introspection with herself right now. _Dazed, injured and in a compact tin can. Almost too easy for him._

A muffled, but distinctly more alert growl emanated from the monster's throat, and Judy, not wanting to be the prognosticator of her own demise, hurried her work. Flattening one ear against her head as she had done back in the hospital corridors, she listened for the familiar sound of Savannah Central's tireless nightlife, and pinpointed the noise as coming from a grate directly behind Nick.

Her suspicions were confirmed as her nose detected the ever-pungent aroma of exhaust fumes blowing gently on the evening breeze through the slats. Their ticket to the outside world was right there.

 _Thank God. She wouldn't have to push him far._

Pooling all the energy she could muster into her hips and thighs, Judy gradually heaved the semi-conscious predator towards the grate, putting considerable strain on her already weakened frame. _Come_ on _, Hopps. This is what you trained for. A little sting in your limbs shouldn't be slowing you down._

But it was, and by the time his snout finally brushed up against the exit, her entire lower body was screaming in disapproval. The bandages the vole had wrapped around her leg had come loose, and were in the process of rubbing mercilessly against the tender flesh with every step she took, threatening to scrape the wound raw and undo several days' worth of healing.

Judy sucked in air through gritted teeth and screwed her eyes shut as she lay still for a moment, riding out the pain and allowing it to subside enough for her to be able to clamber over the monster's convulsing figure and loosen the exit grate. With a few solid shakes, it disengaged from the wall – shoddy workmanship, really, but she wasn't about to complain – and clattered to the tarmac below. Though she was unable to really tell due to the darkness, the length of time it took for her to hear it crashing onto the floor informed her that they were about 3 metres above ground level.

 _Damn_. It was hardly ideal, but she didn't have a choice. She wasn't about to leave him in a cramped ventilation shaft after all she'd been through.

 _Sorry, Nick._ Seizing hold of what little fur remained on his haunches, she gave an almighty shove and sent him plummeting out of the hole and down onto what she presumed was concrete. She winced a little when she heard him smack with a certain degree of force on the ground; her acute ears didn't pick up any indication that anything was broken, though, which was something.

Next it was her turn. Taking care to dangle her legs over the precipice as slowly as possible, she took a deep breath and let go of the wall. For a few awful moments, she fell, completely unprotected from whatever may have laid beneath her, but within seconds her descent was abruptly halted once again by the tensile, coarse form of Nick's body.

Her second landing wasn't entirely painless, and she realised that her friend was probably bearing the brunt of the damage, but as she staggered to her feet, on solid ground, she figured that was one of the reasons she valued his friendship so much. Always ready to take a few knocks for her, even when he didn't know he was doing it.

Judy dusted herself off, kneeled down beside Nick and gently rested one paw on the side of his snout. She jumped back immediately as a noise that sounded dangerously close to a snarl boomed forth from his spasming muzzle.

It was then that she noticed her mind had been uncharacteristically silent for the past fifteen minutes. She no longer heard Nick's charming dulcet tones echoing in her subconscious. And as the rabbit gazed in pity at the fox's restless thrashes, she realised why. Despite her physical feelings to the contrary, some significant part of her brain was unable to continue associating the feral, untamed beast laying before her with the smart, streetwise, utterly captivating individual it had grown so attached to.

She felt a little pang in her heart as she grappled with the concept that her natural instinct might be overriding her drive to help her partner.

 _Pull it together, Judy. If you start to fear him, you play right into the mayor's hooves._

His body contracted in a hypnic jerk. God knew how much time she had before he came round.

Clutching her hand to her chest, Judy took in her surroundings, trying to ascertain where they had emerged. From what she could see, they'd been deposited in a disused parking lot around the back of the hospital. She would have preferred an exit point a little further away from the building now likely swarming with officials on their trail, but she wasn't in any kind of position to be choosy.

She clasped her head in her hands and considered her options. At that very moment, it was almost a given that Bogo, and by extension Bellwether, was being made aware of their abscondence, so in a matter of hours the entire city was going to become a hotbed of police activity. They couldn't hang around; as she knew all too well from her time on the force, once the ZPD was mobilised, no inch of Zootopia went unscrutinised, especially not the parts of the city centre within a half-a-mile radius of the very building they'd broken out from.

 _No_. If she was going to put this right, if she was going to have even the remotest shot at bringing Bellwether to justice, she and Nick needed to get as far away from the city as possible. Or at least far enough away that they could remain undetected while she tried to piece everything together and figure out what the hell she was actually going to _do_.

On top of that, she was well aware of the fact that it wouldn't be long before Nick's face would be plastered all over the ZNN, to the point where they couldn't set one foot within the city limits without being accosted immediately.

In that moment, the decision was made. They needed to slip under the radar and out of Bellwether's reach, fast.

And there was only one quick route out of town.

Judy turned her head to the horizon, where she could just make out the silhouette of the Zootopia bullet train, brilliantly illuminated by lights attached to its undercarriage, slicing through the eager night air.

She hadn't noticed one of the monster's eyes had begun to open.

* * *

 _ **Again, I heartily apologise that this instalment was so short, but I hope you enjoyed it anyway. I personally feel it's one of the weaker entries, but fear not – the action in tomorrow's chapter really heats up, and we'll finally be moving to the place where the bulk of the story plays out. So there's that to look forward to.**_

 _ **See you then, I guess.**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Well, I talked it up like there was no tomorrow – which, funnily enough, is when this chapter is being published in relation to yesterday's – so I could hardly**_ **not** _ **deliver. Part 7 is yours.**_

 _ **I wasn't 100% satisfied with chapter 6, as nothing much really happens, but that was mostly due to time constraints. I tried to make the best of it. With this one, however, I've had more time to devote to it; so much so that I've had to do the thing of splitting the big chunk (over 4000 words) in two again. So the promised location change occurs at the end of tomorrow's part. But fear not: there's ample drama and pathos in this one to go around.**_

 _ **Disney are refusing to negotiate. In fact, they've filed a restraining order against me now. Zootopia**_ **shall** _ **be mine one of these days.**_

* * *

 __Judy's exhilaration at having identified a potential escape route from the city, via the Zootopian transit train, soon dwindled as the rational part of her intellect took over. There were two issues with this idea.

First, she couldn't exactly stroll casually into a public transport vehicle with a wild, unpredictable predator in her care. Assuming Nick would be awake by then, the consequences didn't bear thinking about.

Second, there was no conceivable way she was going to be able to move him halfway across Savannah Central in her current state. She wouldn't last a quarter of the journey without collapsing in a gelatinous, quivering mass of burning nerve endings. Her tenacious temperament, of course, was pushing her to at least try, but she wasn't going to take any unnecessary chances that might wind up with them being sitting ducks – well, mammals – for the ZPD.

A loud growl snapped her out of her thought process. She whirled around, and to her horror, the monster was clearly beginning to regain some of its mental faculties. Its eyes opened and closed repeatedly, and its legs gyrated in a noticeably more fluid, conscious fashion than before. It would probably be only a few minutes before it was on its feet again, and no less dangerous for the sleep.

Judy thought fast. Her transportation options in the city had never felt so limited. About the only personal vehicle she had to her name was the diminutive three-wheeled jokemobile she'd used while on parking duty. That, and – _wait._

 _The police cruiser._

Her heartbeat quickened in excitement as images of the bulkier, more streamlined car that Bogo had granted her access to following the closure of the Otterton case slid before her mind's eye. She had no idea how to drive it, having never had the opportunity to do so, and with her injuries they were liable to end up as a smoking ruin on the sidewalk, but it was the best shot they had at beating a hasty retreat.

She snapped her fingers _. OK. Let's think this through step by step._

The cruiser would be parked in the front lot of the ZPD headquarters, untouched since the day she received the keys to it, so that would mean entering territory that would likely be on high alert after the evening's events. Still, she reasoned, the only officer with a clear and consistent visual on the lot was Clawhauser, who could spy them from the reception desk; and _he_ was not exactly the poster-animal for observational skills.

No, that part would be simple enough. The sticking point would be getting out of the city centre with as minimal uproar as possible and, more importantly, without Bellwether's knowledge. All major roads leading in and out of Zootopia were blockaded by efficiently-manned checkpoints on the best of days, but in the _middle of the night_ during one of the largest civil catastrophes ever to strike the community? She might as well turn Nick over. They needed an alternative route.

And it was at that moment that, through the nipping night air, the distant sound of the bullet train, now heading back out towards Bunnyburrow, carried itself into Judy's ears. She swivelled her head around, and as she again saw the single railway line, suspended over the vast body of water separating Zootopia from the mainland, it hit her.

They might not be able to use the _train_ , but that didn't mean they couldn't use the _tracks_.

The police cruiser, despite being larger than the average law enforcement vehicle, would quite comfortably fit on the wide metal structure designed to accommodate a hulking carriage. Plus, hours of frustration sat in front of a monitor back at home trying to book her first ticket to the city, oblivious to the trials awaiting her, had pummelled into her that only one train was ever active on the outward-bound line at any given moment due to its single-file nature. By accessing the central track via a maintenance siding or tunnel, they could, with some expert timing, have a clean, straight shot out of town, provided they were quick.

She had a plan; a surprisingly solid one, too, given the circumstances. The only roadblock now remaining was the matter of actually _starting_ the damn thing. Although she'd never driven the cruiser, true to her word to Bogo she had kept the keys safely tucked inside her uniform, which, sadly, was still locked away back at headquarters, and –

 _Wait. No it_ wasn't.

It was in a cupboard. Back in her hospital room. Exactly where the ZPD had left it for her for when she healed.

On top of that, her room had been on the ground floor, so although the last thing in the entire known universe she wanted to do was sneak back into that godforsaken place, even if only for a few seconds, all the pieces were slotting together too neatly for her to pass up.

She wouldn't be gone too long. If she was careful, she'd be able to walk round the front of the building, elude security and be in and out.

As Judy made to leave, she gave one last pitiful glance at the restless Nick, who she figured would be safe here for the few minutes maximum she wouldn't be by his side. From the state of the parking lot, it was evident it hadn't been in use for several years, so there was little chance of him being discovered. Heaving a weary sigh, she rounded the corner, and soon he was out of sight.

Judy hopped along, occasionally bracing herself against the rocky walls for support, and, ducking down low to stay out of the glow of the bright neon lamps hanging overhead, finally got a good look at the exterior of the building she'd called home for the past 5 days. Several ambulances were parked out front, and these, along with some large dumpsters near the entryway, provided sufficient cover for the rabbit as she slinked over to the frontside window of her old room.

Thank God it'd been hot that evening and she'd had to open it, otherwise her plan would have been stopped dead right there. Chaos theory proved to be alarmingly convenient sometimes.

With a modicum of effort, she scrambled in through the narrow gap, and though she had been occupying this very dormitory just hours earlier, she felt a sickening sense of déjà vu as she padded over to the cupboard. The duvet was still dishevelled and spread across the floor, marking the spot from where she had hurriedly run to intercept the mercenaries and free Nick.

The closet creaked far more loudly than she'd bargained for as its oaken door was opened, but the lurid beams of light emanating from outside illuminated its insides in a most spectacular fashion, allowing Judy to locate her by-now dusty uniform and fish around in the pockets. _Oh, sweet merciful heaven, let them be in here._ She exhaled as her paw closed around a series of metal objects, and she lifted them out. They were the keys, alright. Noting they were the kind with a small plastic clicker enabling the user to unlock the vehicle from a distance, she pocketed them in her plainclothes.

Judy turned to the window, feeling a dissonant sense of accomplishment at the covertness of her mission, but something in the cupboard glinted in the garish light, catching her eye. Intrigued, she leaned in closer and, brushing away the blue folds of her police vest, uncovered her ZPD badge. Her heart dropped like a rock.

Paw trembling, she picked up the pin. The three words inscribed onto its glossy gold surface pierced through her thoughts like a hot knife through butter. _Trust. Integrity. Bravery._

In that crushing instant, the true gravitas of what she was doing finally hit home. In undertaking all of this, she had violated two of the three codes she swore to live by at her induction. The induction she had worked tirelessly for since her youth.

And now she was having reservations about the third.

Giving up her position. Her reputation in the city as a trustworthy hero of the people who seeks only to strive for good and justice. All sacrificed in one evening.

For a fox. An animal that most residents of Zootopia wouldn't even give the time of day to. And one which her parents would very likely disown her for if they ever got the slightest inkling of her partnership with Nick.

A palpable lump had formed in her throat. She stood in contemplative silence.

After a moment, the sound of footsteps in the adjacent corridor brought her back to her senses and, sniffling slightly, she replaced the badge, closed the cupboard and departed through the window.

Her feet touched gently down onto the concrete of the hospital parking lot, and she lowered the window pane.

The rabbit's thoughts turned once more to Nick as the opening was sealed. She hoped he would still be more or less where she left him.

A loud, guttural, and terrifyingly sober snarl echoed through the lot.

Her ears shot up. _Oh, please, God, no_.

Dread washing through her core, Judy shot round and there it was.

Bushy-tailed, but by no means bright-eyed, the monster stood as staunchly as it had been in the natural history museum. Its teeth shone menacingly beneath the lights; its hackles pointed to the heavens, as if signalling its intended destination for Judy. Globs of saliva dripped from its jowls.

And it was completely untethered.

Almost unconsciously, Judy backed up against the wall, personifying a very literal interpretation of being caught between a rock and a hard place. She tried to keep her cool as the beast's nose began twitching, inhaling the potent scent of the still-enticing wound on her leg, its natural sense of smell heightened by the psychotropic effects of the Night Howler serum.

Her mind was awash with apocalyptic visions. She hadn't thought this far ahead. But she couldn't screw everything up now.

Even though she was able to work out the hospital's location relative to the ZPD after seeing its exterior, they were still a good block away. As things stood, there was no way she'd be able to get Nick over there and into the cruiser without some sort of bait.

It advanced, putting one paw in front of the other at a glacial pace, as if savouring the moment. All of its sensory equipment was focused on her leg, intending to attack what it knew to be a weak spot. The perfect hunting and killing machine, enraged and inches from her soft, tearable flesh.

But as Judy plucked up the courage to stare it directly in its soulless eyes, a foreign, bizarre sensation began to well up inside of her.

As if the fox's anger was being transferred into her, an inexorable, unfamiliar feeling of tension and adrenaline coarsed through her veins. A burning heat shot down her spine. Her pupils dilated and her uninjured leg ached horribly.

 _Wait, what?_ The combination of her terror and realisation snapped her out of whatever she was feeling. _Why should her other leg be hurting?_

But she didn't have time to ponder this further. The monster growled, its tongue making bloodthirsty sweeping motions across its snout.

Judy gulped and looked reluctantly down at her thigh, where the aging bandage was almost completely detached. She knew what needed to be done.

She had to be the bait.

Not taking her eyes off Nick for even a split second, she reached down with one paw and unfastened the rest of the fabric. She knew she had a minuscule timeframe to pull this off. If she made one misstep, there was no euphemistic way to dress it up: she would be killed.

The effect was immediate. Its nose went into convulsions, gulping down round after round of the smell of dried blood. It readied itself to pounce.

Judy made her move. She muttered under her breath. " _Here you go, slick. Fresh meat_."

She threw the bandage as far as she could manage, and leapt off to the side, breaking into a run. The rabbit didn't dare glance behind her, but she hoped the cloth would carry enough of her scent to buy her a few seconds' worth of a head start.

The fox, having confirmed that the bandage was not viable prey, scanned the parking lot with its greyscale nightvision. Bathed in the fluorescent glow of the lamps, its target was easily spotted exiting the parking lot and dashing off down the street. Using its powerful haunches as a springboard, it began to give chase.

The raw, unadulterated adrenaline, more intense than anything Judy had ever felt, that was flowing through her as she ran overpowered all other senses and feelings, including the obvious pain in her now-exposed leg. She had one clear goal in mind: reach the ZPD, alive.

She half-sprinted down the road, heading towards a row of looming skyscrapers, and risked a glance behind her. The beast, despite its disadvantageous start, was rapidly gaining ground. Fox VS rabbit. Predator VS prey. The ultimate display of natural selection.

Nearing the buildings, Judy dived into an alleyway and hopped towards the tall fence at the other end. She hoped the narrow opening would confuse Nick's tracking, and as she ran she kicked at a trash can with her unharmed leg, sending it and its contents spilling across the floor. Using a knothole as leverage, she scrambled over the fence and watched as the monster, totally unfazed, skidded into the alley just seconds behind her and was indeed briefly sidetracked by the foul, rotting stench emanating from the garbage can.

Judy weaved down another street, and then she saw it just ahead; the natural history museum. The place where this whole mess started. Which meant that, just opposite, was...

 _The ZPD._

She didn't have far to go now, but the beast had other plans. It rocketed down the pavement, nearing the petrified bunny at a swift pace, and threatened to close the gap before it suddenly stopped and turned its head. Judy, confused, followed its eyeline and gasped.

 _Oh, hell._

It had taken interest in two young female antelopes, returning from a lavish night out, who were presently walking down the street opposite.

Judy realised that she wasn't being singled out due to any sort of personal grudge or vendetta – under the effects of the serum, Nick was psychologically programmed to go after any kind of prey. Exactly what Bellwether wanted.

She had to divert its attention back to her. Letting it run rampant in a public area was tantamount to slaughter.

Drawing a deep breath, she let loose an unnaturally high-pitched shriek – something that, to her knowledge, only bunnies were capable of doing – that was inaudible to the ears of any mammal other than members of the canine family.

Nick's head snapped back round. The monster's eyes were now safely locked on her again.

Judy resumed her run and stumbled for a moment, her leg giving out one last time. _Damn it, why couldn't she get past this?!_

The fox, seeing she was down, was right on her tail, literally, as she forced herself to her feet and jogged away, banking round into the ZPD parking lot.

She could practically feel its hot breath on the back of her neck. As she had suspected, sitting alone and unloved in the corner of the lot was the police cruiser. It was about to get more use in one night than it had done in the three weeks she had had dominion over it.

Hobbling and limping now, she fumbled in her pocket for the keys, and pressed the wireless clicker. An obliviously cheerful beep from the car confirmed the door was unlocked. These police cruisers were divided into two halves; the front seats were for officers, and the back seats, separated from the front by a wire mesh, were for captured criminals. Judy was a bit uncomfortable labelling Nick a criminal in his current mental condition, but decided that this was just karma for his 20 years of tax evasion. _He had it coming._

Without a second to spare, Judy pulled open one of the back doors and heaved herself onto the cushy seats. Her entire body was on fire now, but her toil was almost over. She just needed to time this with immaculate precision.

She stared the monster straight in its horrifying jaws as it shot across the lot and lunged through the car door. But by the time it had clawed its way up onto the seats, its prize had vanished. Judy rolled backwards out the open door, having snuck along the floor beneath the seats, and slammed it shut with a passion. In a manner eerily reminiscent of the savage tiger at Cliffside Asylum, the beast scraped its paws against the window, its tongue hanging out and its hot, musky breath condensing on the glass.

Judy watched this play out, and clutched her chest. Nick was contained. For now.

Before she slunk round to hop up into the driver's seat herself, she peered through the vast glass doors of the ZPD, where her eyes immediately noticed something amiss. Clawhauser was absent from his desk; in his place, a simple desk lamp dimly lit a vacant chair; the perfect visual metaphor for the state of Zootopia's governmental system at the moment. The memory hit her like a ton of bricks; because of _her_ actions, _her_ small-minded words, the innocent, loveable big cat was consigned to records in the boiler room. The reception appeared bleak and desolate without his warmth and optimism there to meet and greet all those who entered the building.

Face set, she furrowed her brow. All the more reason to set things right. _To try_.

She pulled open the front driver-side door and hoisted herself into the seat. The innards of this vehicle were unfamiliar, even though all the paraphernalia was at a height accessible to her, so she resolved to not touch anything but the bare essentials. Steering wheel. Pedals. Gearstick. Maybe radio.

And as she settled into the chair, and the monster snarled viciously from the back, hacking away at the solid mesh separating it from its quarry, she heard his voice echo as clear as day in her mind.

 _Fight or flight, Carrots._

She placed the key in the ignition and turned.

* * *

 _ **I feel kind of bad breaking this into two – like Hunger Games, Harry Potter and Pirates of the Caribbean (all much better written works than mine, but y'know) – but I thought it would make it more digestible. Tomorrow, we finally move into the second act, I promise. It's a doozy.**_

 _ **Thanks for reading. Reviews much appreciated, as ever.**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**Today's instalment, the second half of the much-hyped double bill chapter, comes with an apologetic and heavy-hearted message. Tomorrow, I'm out of town all afternoon and evening on fairly important business, and thus the epic streak of daily updates will be broken just for a little while. I hope y'all are cool with this, and things should resume as normal on Friday. For now, though, enjoy.**_

 _ **Nope. The rights still aren't mine. They**_ **have** _ **said they might cut me a 0.00000004% share of the merchandising revenue, though, which is something... right?**_

* * *

The engine roared to life as Judy sparked the ignition.

She felt around with her foot for the oversized reverse pedal and, with a thunderous rumble, the police cruiser backed out of the ZPD lot. The sudden jolt threw Nick forward off the back seat, slamming his razor-edged teeth and claws up against the mesh, but the rabbit, who was preoccupied with mapping their route, paid the monster no heed as it disentangled itself, enraged.

Time was of the essence. Not only were Bellwether and Bogo more than likely aware of the breakout by now, but there were now eyewitnesses to the feral Nick wandering around in the form of the two antelopes she had diverted his attention from. There was no way on Earth they hadn't seen him, and even less of a chance they wouldn't be spreading the word within the hour. News travelled fast in Zootopia.

Judy pictured the train tracks in her head, trying to calculate where the best entry point would be. She recalled Nick's advice from way back in Bellwether's old office, where, unaware of the tragedy that awaited both of them, he had jokingly asserted that the best way to evade detection when doing something illegal was to travel down a maintenance tunnel. He had meant this purely in jest – she hoped – but that memory triggered a winning idea in her mind.

She cast her mind back to when, naïve and optimistic, she had first arrived in Savannah Central on the bullet train. One of the clearest recollections she had of the inward journey was of the numerous branching tracks from across the city converging in the grand station, some of which had appeared to be in evident disuse and joined the main line a safe distance away from the densely populated area.

She didn't have time to plot the specifics, but the plan was clear: join the outward-bound track via one of the old sidings. And she knew exactly which one to use.

She slammed her foot down onto the accelerator, and with an alarming screech of its tires, the cruiser took off down the street. The fox growled threateningly in protest, but began pacing back and forth along the row of seats, disoriented.

Judy adjusted the rearview mirror and looked behind them as they sped away. _Oh, crap_. The front doors of the ZPD had opened, flooding the darkened lot with light, and she could easily make out officers McHorn and Higgins, their radios to their ears and their attention very much focused on the now-vacant parking spot. She silently prayed that they'd be far enough away before vehicular forces were mobilised. The last thing she wanted was a car chase in her condition.

 _Nobody ever said this was going to be easy, Carrots._

Turning her eyes back to the road, she made a left, cutting down Elm Street, and soon it loomed before them; the unkempt entrance to the underground where they had discovered Doug's Night Howler lab. It would be impossible to drive the car into the tiny, rusted archway, let alone navigate it down the narrow staircase she knew lay beyond. Instead, she continued down the street, tracking the route of the track below the tarmac in her mind's eye, which she figured would eventually emerge out of –

 _The tunnel._ Beneath the bridge, the railway line exited the underground, stretching onwards, back toward the natural history museum – the exact way she and Nick had gone that fateful day – but there was no way in hell she was going anywhere near that forsaken place again any time soon.

Carefully reducing the speed of the vehicle, and hoping against hope that its gargantuan size wouldn't prove to be inhibitive in navigating the tunnel, she steered the cruiser downwards, following the shape of the surrounding incline, until its front fenders brushed up against the elevated metalwork preventing trains from flying off the track _. Fat lot of good that did them when they'd hurtled round that corner the other day._

She took a deep breath, and with a forceful rev of the engine, accompanied by a tentative snarl from Nick, the cruiser crossed the would-be barrier and rolled onto the train tracks. Judy angled the front of the vehicle, aligning its hood with the dark, foreboding void before her, and pushed down on the pedals. Smooth as butter, the car's wheels settled into two divots either side of the central track as though they had been designed to fit there, and silently passed into the underground.

Judy's ears detected the rapidly approaching sound of sirens; she estimated it would be about five minutes before the ZPD caught onto their game – most official police vehicles came equipped with GPS tracking, so it was only a matter of time before they would be pursued. Hopefully, their being belowground would interfere with the signal.

The cruiser stalked through the tunnel, and a cold chill crept down Judy's spine as they passed the spot on the tracks where Doug's lab had stood just days earlier. The thought that they were nonchalantly driving through what had been the cold heart of Bellwether's operation, and that she and Nick remained the only two mammals in the city to have borne witness to it before it was annihilated in a devastating explosion, was a powerful one.

On unfamiliar ground now - they had never had cause to travel in the opposite direction when they had been here before - the rabbit nearly leapt out of her skin as, to her horror, the car's radio began emitting static. Nick growled softly.

Through the garbled, almost unintelligible white noise, Officer McHorn's voice was barely distinguishable.

" _...Hopps... violation... return... immediately... resisting..."_

Her paw hovered over the disconnect button, half wanting to continue listening to the call, but McHorn was silenced with a stoic jab when a final word spluttered through:

"... _Mayor_."

Judy's breathing quickened. Working quickly, she flipped switches on the radio, hoping to prevent any further communication from her disillusioned colleagues. It gave one final, resolute crackle, and fell silent.

The call had lasted just long enough for a trace to be established. It was practically a given the ZPD knew where they were now. The element of surprise was their only remaining weapon.

Judy applied additional pressure to the accelerator, and a little while later, the cruiser emerged from the other end of the tunnel, and, just as she had suspected, the full moon that shone above illuminated the central railway line leading out of Savannah Central station.

Her eyes widened as she saw the tail-end of the bullet train disappearing into the terminal. _There was only ever one carriage on the track at once._ It was damn fast in motion, but it would be accepting departures and depositing arrivals for at least five minutes. This was their one window of opportunity. Crunch or be crunched.

Judy's brow contracted into an expression of determination as her uninjured leg propelled a foot down onto the accelerator. The cruiser darted forward, its hubcaps scraping the sides of the tracks and sending sparks flying. Nick was tumbling about behind the mesh in an almost pitiable fashion, clawing desperately at the seats for a firm foothold.

With an almighty clang, the vehicle sailed over the dividing ramp and made contact with the central line. No turning back now.

Not that there was room for her to make a three-point anyway.

On any other occasion, Judy would have gazed up at the brightly illuminated skyline that towered overhead, splendorous and polychromatic in its variety of colours, shapes and sizes, with awe and wonder, but it spoke volumes about the situation that her eyes remained fixed dead ahead as the tracks, now elevated off the ground by support beams, led the cruiser out of Savannah Central and into the Rainforest District.

The front window fogged up with the artificial humidity pumped down through the canopy. Judy activated the windscreen wipers, and couldn't help but be impressed by the seemingly endless, lush foliage and greenery that spread before them. Trusting the cruiser to remain attached to the track by itself for a while, she abandoned her previous reservations and began drinking in the surroundings.

Gorgeous, sparkling raindrops cascaded down from the treetops, bouncing off the charming wooden and bamboo buildings nestled cosily far below. Numerous majestic, powerful waterfalls, a wondrous and mighty force of nature, roared down into the misty depths, and everything was brilliantly lit by soft, mellow flame-torches and gas lamps swinging from branches.

The seamless transition between the city's drastically different districts never failed to amaze her. For all its undeniable faults, Zootopia was truly a modern marvel of mammal engineering.

But it was halfway to the next tunnel, leading to Tundratown, that the noise came from the back seat. A high-pitched noise.

Fearing the worst, and realising that Nick had been curiously silent for a while, Judy swivelled her head round, slowing the vehicle to a crawl.

What she saw threatened to shatter her heart.

Far from the menacing, aggressive response she had expected to receive, she was instead greeted by the back of the fox's head. She craned her neck and saw that his ears stood erect; his eyes, while still glassy and primal, were definitely focused on something. And it wasn't her.

She rubbed the fog away from her window and followed his eyeline up into the canopy. She recognised the horrifying sight straight away.

The Vine and Tujunga sign. The broken footbridge. And, most crushingly, the SkyTram platform, its fences still splintered from their encounter with the wild Mr. Manchas and claw marks still visible in its wooden structure.

Her eyes darted back and forth between Nick and the platform a few times, unsure of what was happening. But then the noise came again, and it dawned on her in a wave of sadness.

 _He was whining._

He sat transfixed, staring at the exact spot where Judy had saved his life. Where she had rescued him from a savage predator affected by the very same condition he was now trapped within.

Judy watched in utter despair as Nick placed one stiff paw on the window. The shock of seeing the site of one of the tensest experiences in, she assumed, his entire simple hustling lifestyle, was very clearly stirring something inside of him.

It was unlikely he was remembering in vivid detail what had happened there; just that, in one tiny, forcibly suppressed corner of his subconscious, something was telling him there was a significance to this place.

And that meant that, somewhere, Nick was still in there.

Judy backed off as the monster finally turned its head to acknowledge her, and while the usual soulless, unfeeling eyes soon returned in full force, accompanied by a warning snarl, she thought she saw something else this time. Sorrow. Barely perceptible, glinting dully in the black abyss. But there.

The tracks vibrated a few times beneath the cruiser, bringing her back to reality. The train was beginning to pull out of the station, minutes behind them. They needed to move.

She increased the speed of the car, tearing her gaze away from Nick, but as they entered the Tundratown tunnel she glanced back. He was back up at the window, gazing out in fascination.

Verdant pinks and blues shone down through the cruiser's sunroof as it exited into Tundratown. Judy looked up beyond the glass and was knocked breathless by the vast, multi-coloured aurora arcing and dancing across the inky black expanse of the sky. An ecstatic grin formed on her face as she forgot all her worries for a few brief moments, losing herself in the enchanting sight.

The vehicle trundled down the track, passing the icy district's thriving hub of nightlife. Fish markets and restaurants, bathed in warm neon, provided a stark contrast to the cold climate.

Judy's heart swelled as the sheer beauty of the metropolis overpowered her once again. Much more confidently this time, she turned around and, confirming Nick was still up at the window, absorbing every inch of the unfamiliar environment, pressed a button on the dashboard to lower it.

Part of her half-expected him to scramble out the opening in a bid for freedom as the window receded, but instead he stuck out his head, his fur blowing in the crisp, eager night air and his glazed eyes scanning the whole landscape in (what she interpreted as) total admiration.

He too eagerly inclined his scruffy neck towards the heavens, the majestic aurora reflected in his black orbs, and Judy's stomach constricted into a gleeful knot. She realised that, in some respects, he was experiencing a thrill similar to that which she had felt on her arrival to Zootopia, discovering all the new sights and sounds; albeit in a more basic, instinctual manner.

Sahara Square came next. Its arid sands howled through the sky, scattered by the wind, prompting a charming snort from Nick when a few grains entered his nose. The gigantic Palm Tree Hotel dominating the skyline was a beacon of green and yellow, its crystalline walls refracting the bright lights of the town and causing a magical shimmering effect.

Finally, with the 'Zootopia Welcomes You' sign safely behind them, and the number of new things to see having sufficiently dried up, Nick resumed pacing, paying no attention to Judy, who began to consider how things should pan out from here. Where they could go.

The tracks they were on led straight to Bunnyburrow, which was out for sure.

God, she could just imagine it. _'Hi Mom, hi Dad, hope you don't mind, I've brought home the vicious, unpredictable predator responsible for landing me in the hospital to stay for a while. He's a fox. I'm_ friends _with him. Can I keep him in the house filled with hundreds of young, vulnerable rabbits? By the way, the cops are after us.'_

She had no idea where the line went after her hometown, but she figured it would- _oh, no._

The cruiser was rumbling much more noticeably now, and not just due to its horsepower.

The unmistakeable sound of a horn reverberated down the tracks. Nick's head snapped around first, followed by Judy's.

A glaring headlamp, unrelenting in its speed, was bearing down on them. _The train._

In a genuine panic, Judy compressed the accelerator as hard as possible.

Their emotional liaison in the Rainforest District had cost them valuable time. Enough for their dreaded foe to close the gap.

The cruiser had crossed the water separating Zootopia from the mainland, and so all the rabbit could make out either side of her through her adrenaline-fuelled haze was endless expanses of woodland.

The train showed no signs of stopping. One vehicle was obviously losing the race, and its occupants were frantic. Both of them.

The monster scratched and pawed at the back window of the cruiser, evidently perceiving the bizarre machine as an adversary trying to encroach on its territory. Its hackles raised for the second time that night.

Judy, her nightvision relatively poor, struggled to keep the car straight as it teetered under the velocity. She had no way of knowing what was lying in wait ahead.

Another horn honk. The train _was_ going to smash into them. It was a foregone conclusion. There was only one thing she could do.

Screwing her eyes shut, she channelled all her senses into feeling for a gap in the track. The rhythmic thumping of the wheels against the slats told her all she needed to know.

Thud. Thud. Thud _. ...there._

 _See you on the other side, Nick._

She swerved.

* * *

 _ **Well, I sure hope you enjoyed that, since it's gotta last you two days. I've been getting such warm feedback, which is great, but it's also nice to receive some constructive criticism too – it helps me hone my skills which, in turn, makes for a better experience for you guys. Case in point: to the wonderful Lord Anubis, thank you for pointing out the error in Chapter 5. It has now been corrected.**_

 _ **See you all Friday.**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**URGENT TRANSMISSION: This story is not dead. I repeat: this story is not dead.**_

 _ **I don't feel like grovelling, but I will say this: for reasons which I won't go into because A: they are rather personal and B: for you, dear readers, without context they will be meaningless, the trip I took last Thursday ended up being extended until Monday. Believe me, while I was away I was thinking of this fanfic, itching to get back, but hey-ho.**_

 _ **As such, this situation has made me realise that a chapter a day is a huge commitment – as previously noted by some reviewers – and thus from now on they may have to be every other day, maybe longer in extreme cases. I will make this promise, though: updates will, all being well,**_ **never** _ **be more than a week apart.**_

 _ **I'm really sorry, but if I'm to keep this great thing going as well as manage everything else that's going on, concessions need to be made somewhere.**_

 _ **I hope I didn't cause any major disappointment for those of you waiting for a chapter on Friday. These things happen. Anyway, enjoy.**_

 _ **Nope. Still no ownership of intellectual property to see here. Move along.**_

* * *

Judy's senses returned one by one as she slipped slowly into consciousness. With a groggy sensation permeating every fibre of her being, the rabbit tried to get her bearings.

Her eyes opened first, and were met with dazzling sunlight. That meant she'd been out until daybreak. At least 6 hours.

Her nose was assaulted next, by the choking smell of smoke, combined with that of burnt fur. Judy coughed and retched a little, trying to dispel the awful scent.

 _Smoke?_

Then she remembered. The tracks. The police cruiser. _The train._

She blinked a couple of times, adjusting to the light, then sat up. As she'd suspected, sections of the coat on her arms and stomach were blackened, singed and smouldering slightly, indicating she'd been burned at some point during the crash, an event she could recall nothing of.

Her amethyst orbs took in the new environment for the first time. All around her, stretching for as far as she could see, was a vast expanse of woodland. So unless this was what heaven looked like, that probably meant she survived. Which was something she, though it seemed implausible, was not about to contest.

And if this _was_ heaven, then her parents had been lying to her all her life.

Tall, overarcing trees, of both seasonal and evergreen varieties, loomed in every direction, blanketing the sky and leaving only small cracks amid the thick canopy for particularly tenacious rays of light to pierce down toward the undergrowth; which, with its dead leaflitter and rotting branches, made the turf beneath Judy's torso coarse and uncomfortable.

The density of the foliage surrounding her, however, struck her as odd. One aching paw rubbed her cranium as her ears snapped to attention, seeking clues.

Through a numb haze, she scoured the forest. There was no sign of the Zootopia train tracks from whence they had come, even off in the distance. Nor could she make out the presumably wrecked cruiser; indeed, the only sign she was anywhere near the crash site was that wretched smell of smoke.

She'd probably been thrown from the wreckage due to the impact, sure, but this far away? It wasn't possible. Even assuming the engine blew up, an explosion of that magnitude would only propel her a few feet at most. _No._

Something – or someone - had moved her.

A perfectly rational panic seized hold of Judy and, without thinking, she hurriedly made to climb to her feet. But she couldn't.

Before she was even able to lever herself off the ground, scorching hot pain, more excruciating than anything she had felt thus far, flooded her lower body, emanating from the epicentre of her bad leg. Bile rose in her throat and she hacked a few more times as she collapsed back down onto the leaves. It was only then, after she had endured enough of the torturous discomfort for it to subside, that she looked down at her lower body. Her mouth fell open in a silent gasp.

The accursed limb was twisted at a sickening, unnatural angle; the source of her agony. Thankfully, she knew it wasn't broken – several experiences with damaged limbs in her childhood, due in no small part to the overcrowded burrow, had ensured she would never forget the sensation – but it was almost certainly at least fractured. Regardless of what the problem was, though, it was killing her.

She lay there for a while, breathing heavily and wincing every time her calf pulsed with another wave of pain, before turning her thoughts back to her current predicament.

 _OK. Let's take stock. Can't walk. No clue where I am._ She patted her pockets and groaned. _No cellphone_. She crossed each detriment off in her mind, until she came to a sudden realisation.

 _Nick. Oh,_ God _. Where's Nick?_

Soon she was sat upright again, her nose twitching and inhaling valuable gulps of air in a desperate attempt to ascertain her friend's whereabouts via his unique... aroma.

Its efforts were soon cut short, however, by a dull crunching sound approaching from the brush behind her; the noise of dried leaflitter being trampled slowly underfoot. Almost instinctively, she laid back down, but made sure to position herself so she could observe the figure as it emerged from the bushes.

The monster padded out into the clearing. Its fur, like hers, was charred in places, adding to the various scars and bald patches it had picked up back in the hospital. At the end of the grizzled snout, its nostrils dilated, tracking its prey. Flashbacks to the natural history museum raged in her head; although while the savannah display had been an artificial mockup of a traditional predatory scenario, this was for real. Out in the wild.

Judy screwed her eyes shut and tried to remain calm as Nick drew nearer. The erratic rhythm of the fox's breathing and the irregularity of his footsteps betrayed the fact he had a limp - he too must have been thrown from the crash - but the clear presence of mind apparent in his focused demeanour indicated that he'd been awake for longer than she had. _Which could mean-_

She raised a trembling paw to the scruff of her neck. Several cuts and divots, slick with her blood but not deep enough for her to notice them before, covered her nape. Overcome with dread, she risked opening one eye and, as she had surmised, amid the beast's rows of glinting fangs were a few severed strands of grey hair, damp with its saliva.

Nick had moved her deeper into the woods. Both literally and figuratively.

 _But why hadn't he killed her?_

Her eye closed once more as the fox placed a dominant paw on her torso and roughly rolled her onto her back, presumably to gain better access to her neck. The monster lowered its maw so it was level with her body, and a frighteningly lucid growl told her it was inches away. Judy laid deathly still, scarcely daring to breath.

It made its move. Abandoning all pretences, and with putrid strands of drool slavering from its jaws, its teeth closed around the terrified rabbit's scruff, but did not bite down immediately. Clearly, it wanted to savour this moment.

A single tear rolled down Judy's cheek as she fiercely fought back the urge to kick and thrash, knowing it would make things worse.

The jaws tightened, each individual incisor settling into the cut they had made previously and deepening the wound. The fangs sank further into her flesh. One powerful snap would be all it would take.

 _This was it. The ZPD weren't coming to save her this time._

 _She was going to die._

 _Cold, alone and in pain._

 _Killed by her best friend._

And as the remaining scythes in the fox's mouth found their mark in the soft tissue of her neck, Judy prepared for the end.

Expecting to feel her consciousness slipping away into oblivion, she didn't immediately sense that the upward weightlessness that soon overcame her wasn't due to the onset of quietus. Her breath caught in her throat as she chanced another glance, and found herself looking down at the ground from about half a meter above it.

Nick was carrying her.

Her drooping ears akimbo and her body as lifeless as she could manage, she watched in awe as the fox broke into a laboured sprint, hampered by his limp, heading deeper into the forest with her slack form hanging from his mouth.

She was jolted violently about between his mandibles as he ran, pressing her wounds even further up against his teeth; but even though this careless treatment was causing her exponential discomfort, she was still counting herself lucky to be alive. What the hell he was doing, she had no idea, but the more time she had to gather her thoughts, the better.

Greenery and flora dotted across the boscage, showing a swathe of brilliant, radiant colours, flitted before her during the journey, distracting her from the pain whenever she felt brave enough to open her eyes again, but only contributed to the overwhelming feeling of being lost; despite having grown up on a rural farm, several species they passed were foreign to her. They couldn't be anywhere near Bunnyburrow.

After a couple of minutes' worth of lolloping through the woods, Nick's breathing began to become irregular and raspy, belying the effect his injuries were having on his stamina. He stumbled slightly, eliciting a concerned gasp from Judy. A few stoic growls, but most certainly inflected with a noticeable note of frustration, issued forth from deep within him; Judy, despite the situation, couldn't help but feel sorry for her partner (sentiments she knew, at present, were in no way returned).

Eventually, as rainclouds began to gather in the skies above the canopy, prohibiting what little sunlight made it past the top layer of trees from reaching them at all, his pace slowed. Though she, from her unideal viewing spot, assumed this was due to fatigue, an uncomfortable crane of her neck so as to follow his eyeline informed her otherwise. They had reached their destination.

The first tentative splashes of rain began matting her fur as she took in the sight: a bizarre rock formation set behind a series of fallen tree trunks which, at a certain angle, formed a cave of sorts. _Not even that_ , she corrected herself; a cave was generally a hollow in a rock wall, created by years of sedimentary erosion. But this... this was just haphazard. _Dangerous_ , even.

Nick's jaws squeezed a little.

 _Relatively speaking._

The 'cave' in question was a small opening towards the bottom of the crag which, as far as she could see, opened out into a diminutive cavern about 5 metres across. Perhaps Mr. Big and his family might have considered it homely, but to the average mammal –

Before she could complete her musing, Nick took several strident steps forward with a renewed vim. Had he been his usual self, Judy would have put this down to him showing off.

 _Look, Carrots. I found us a shelter. And what have you been doing for the past 6 hours? Sleeping._

But it was evident from his raised hackles and the alert, sweeping tail that this sudden vigilance was purely territorial in nature. The monster had laid claim to the makeshift cave, and woe betide anything that dared cross the threshold of its den.

Nick hobbled into the opening, needing to lower his back to allow passage. Judy, who noted the skid marks in the mud indicating he'd been through this way a couple of times already – _damn, what was he_ doing _while she was out?_ – was unprepared and received a solid smack to the forehead from the narrow side of the entrance. _Great. Burnt fur, mangled leg, teeth buried in my neck – and now maybe a concussion._

As if on cue, another round of teeth-gritting agony wracked her body as Nick deposited her, harshly, onto the hard ground, her bad leg being contorted up into another horrific position. Once more, she rode out the burning throbs, curling up into the foetal position. She was perfectly aware that an aggressive predator was stood right next to her as she rocked back and forth, but she couldn't have cared less.

Once the final throes of pain receded, the sound of claws scraping against stone called her attention to the cave's exit. Nick was pawing at one of the walls, violently etching white marks into the rock. Judy tilted her head quizzically as he gave one last dramatic swipe, and, with a single, indifferent glare shot towards her, limped out of the cave.

Being in no position to follow him, and trusting that his homing instincts would at some point bring him back – whether this was a good or bad thing, she wasn't sure – Judy sat up and examined the domicile. The 'construction' of the cavern was hardly robust, likely having been formed by a coincidental amalgamation of various boulders; the 'ceiling', dripping with groundwater, looked liable to collapse at any moment, and the 'floor' was made up of chipped stones that had obstinately refused to lay flat, creating a pseudo-minefield of jagged trip hazards. Judy herself had been dumped behind one such protrusion, the gashes on her arms and legs dangerously close to the potentially lethal serration.

The rabbit massaged her wounds and peered over at the spot where Nick had clawed the wall. A series of distinct scratches were carved across the rock face and, with a crushing sense of familiarity, she looked down at her arm where he had lashed out at her back in the museum. Though the scabs had blurred the original marks somewhat into her dishevelled grey fur, they were still clearly visible.

Three scratches. Just like the wall.

Judy became a little misty-eyed as, much like when she had found her badge in the hospital, the sheer weight of the situation dawned on her again. She had to put this right.

If not for her, for Nick.

 _But ideally, of course, for_ both _of us, Fluff._

For the two of them. Together.

This self-introspection delayed her reaction to the fact that, after shifting her ground slightly, she realised where she was sat. Feeling the cool mud beneath her paws, she looked down and saw that Nick had placed her in a small indentation in the cave floor. The clear – and fresh - slash marks lining the edges of the cavity suggested that it had been dug by the fox not too long ago.

Judy placed another paw to her neck and brought it down. She stared at the crimson stain now spattered in her palm, tinged and sticky with the monster's saliva and partially diluted by rainwater.

The beast had placed her in cold storage.

It was saving her for later.

* * *

 _ **Well, the promised change in setting has happened. Nick and Judy out in the wild, with the occasional check back in the city with Bogo, Bellwether et al (starting next chapter) is pretty much going to be the story's structure for the next act. Therefore, if you aren't cool with that, now is the ideal jumping-off point. It's been nice having ya.**_

 _ **Don't forget, I've got this baby all planned out and know how it's going to end/what the twists are going to be, so as I've said, whenever there's a lull in updates, I haven't got writer's block; it's just ol' mother Life getting in the way. Damn her.**_

 _ **Thanks for reading, and see you next chapter.**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Well, we've hit something of a milestone, folks; chapter 10! We're in double digits now.**_

 _ **Once again, I'd like to thank each and every one of the 70+ followers and favouriters – those numbers continue to stagger me – who give me the pep and verve to keep writing, even when life gets in the way, as it is wont to do. You're all saints.**_

 _ **Apologies for the slight wait, again, but enjoy!**_

 _ **You'd think that writing 10 chapters of a fanfiction would be more than enough evidence that I can handle ownership of the Zootopia brand. Turns out Disney thinks differently.**_

* * *

"10-minute call, ma'am."

Bellwether, who had been deep in thought for the past hour, turned to acknowledge the starnose mole carrying a microphone who had just stuck his head round her office door.

"Alright, thank you. I'm just... finishing up some business, and then I'll be right out."

"OK. I gotta say, Mayor, I don't envy you. You've got quite the audience out here." He gestured over his shoulder in the direction of Zootopia City Hall's central lobby, where the sound of a clamouring crowd could be heard.

"Well, you can hardly blame them." She crossed her hooves behind her back. "Promise people a momentous announcement regarding the future of a fear-stricken city, and they do tend to flock."

She forced a weak smile.

"And anyway, I've never been one for stage fright. Now, if you don't mind..."

The mole looked ready to respond, clearly disagreeing, but simply shrugged it off and gave her a respectful two-fingered salute as he left, closing the door behind him.

Bellwether listened to his padding footsteps as they travelled down the corridor and, once she was sure he had gone, crossed over to her desk and clambered up into her chair, which she had again cranked down to a height convenient for her.

Once she was settled, she turned the events of the past few hours over in her mind.

 _So, Judy Hopps steals a police cruiser, despite the ZPD's assurances to me that she no longer has access to their assets following her resignation, and_ then _manages to evade the other officers' GPS tracking for long enough to completely vanish off the face of the earth? It doesn't add up._

Amid a sea of post-it notes, she fished for the computer mouse and turned on the PC monitor, its harsh glare reflecting off the lenses of her glasses. With a few clicks, she was into the traffic camera database – being the mayor, she no longer needed to pull any strings to gain access – and the ewe squinted as she idly cycled through every feed from the previous night.

She knew exactly what she was going to see, having performed this ritual twice within the last hour, but carefully examined every angle all the same. It was all as it had been before; the cruiser left the ZPD lot with Hopps and the predator in tow, and, followed by pursuers, travelled down Elm Street towards the train-track overlook – and then, nothing.

Bellwether rewound and watched the cruiser exit the frame of the final camera feed. That was the last moment Hopps had appeared on any form of security footage since the escape. She right-clicked and saved the video file to her desktop, planning to devote more time to a proper analysis later.

Backing out by a couple of windows, she took a final searching look at the low-res map of Zootopia on the screen before switching off the monitor and turning her thoughts to the more immediate matter.

She opened her top desk drawer and pulled out the familiar sleek black file, placing it neatly onto the table. The ewe glared down at it for a while, and the matte image of a purple-blue flower stuck on the front stared right back, almost tauntingly; as if it was mocking her, serving as a reminder of all the wrenches Hopps' destruction of the Night Howler lab had thrown into the works.

Collecting herself, Bellwether opened up the folder, sifting through a hefty collection of documents before reaching the one which had caused Chief Bogo such distress the other night – and which was due to be the focus of her imminent public appearance.

Her pupils flitted back and forth across the page, as his had done, making sure everything was in order, and then she picked up a worn white pen from the desk, prepared to finally sign the crucial paper off, thus vetoing the buffalo's objections.

Becoming mired in bureaucratic red tape as a result of running the bill past a committee was not a risk she was willing to take.

Especially since she wasn't sure how long the savage outbreak could conceivably continue.

The nib sat poised over the dotted line for a few moments, but Bellwether stopped herself, pondering something. Resting one hoof on her chin, she switched the monitor back on, reilluminating the city map with all its intertwining lines and routes. She inspected the outskirts of the image, checking all possible routes out of town – most of which she had made sure to have blockaded following the breakout, to no avail – and was struck with an idea.

She could work this to her advantage.

Picking up the pen again, she located the small white box she had printed at the bottom in case amendments needed to be made to the proposal and, cross-referencing against the map, wrote in another line of text.

She took extra care to underline one key word in her addition.

 _Fugitive._

With a great deal of satisfaction, Bellwether signed the paper in sprawling cursive. Technically speaking, she was meant to stamp and photocopy it as well, but a sharp rap on her door followed by a glance at her floral wall clock, showing that zero hour was minutes away, told her this was out of the question.

Not that she had been following proper procedure in getting to this point in the first place.

The ewe closed the folder, slid down off her chair and, collecting her things, headed for the door. She pushed it open with a concerted shove, papers tucked under her arm, and allowed it to swing shut behind her before she locked it, pocketing the key.

Adjusting her glasses and smoothing out her dress in anticipation, she travelled down the corridor towards the main lobby. Assuming she didn't fall victim to a political assassination, she'd be back within the hour.

The echoing sound of her hooves clopping against the waxed linoleum floor threatened to drown out her thoughts, as did the nearing cacophony of anxious mammals awaiting her arrival.

She knew there was no way all of them were going to be on side straightaway, if at all; although, thinking ahead in an attempt to pre-empt any backlash, she had made certain arrangements.

Several interminable seconds later, Bellwether emerged into the central room, suddenly being bathed in the lurid glow of the spot and stage lights that had been erected in front of the diminutive podium from which she was due to speak.

Like a swarm of ravenous vultures, a myriad of eager animals of all species, sizes and denominations, predator and prey alike, descended on her. She hardly had time to consider her approach before the first batch of microphones and television cameras was thrust under her muzzle, in a chaotic blur of greys and blues. Several reporters called out to her, some more audible than others, shouting inquiries.

"Mayor Bellwether, what can you tell us about the state of the city's defences?"

"Zootopia is gripped by fear beneath a wave of predatory violence. Can we expect action?"

"Are you able to comment on the current political situation moving forward?"

Bellwether gently raised her hooves, indicating to the masses with a non-verbal gesture that she wasn't accepting questions; however, one shout, which rang crisply and clearly through her ears above the commotion, stopped her dead in her tracks.

"Can you confirm the rumours that the number of savage cases is declining?"

 _How do they know about that?_

She whirled around, unable to mask her surprise, and scanned the crowd for the source of the cry, finding it in the form of a portly raccoon carrying a notepad and pencil. Evidently complacent at the fact he had been singled out for scrutiny, he stared at her with an expectant gaze, awaiting a response.

When none came, he stepped aside, slightly disappointed, and then she saw him.

Stood at the very back of the lobby, arms folded and eyes dead-set on her with a look of utter contempt, was Bogo. Clearly, he had been feeding the press a few choice pieces of hearsay, and his face in that moment spoke a thousand words; he was here to watch her. For reasons the two of them both knew perfectly well.

Bellwether, aware that the buffalo, armed with sensitive information, was now dangerous, discreetly signalled towards two ram henchmen she had arranged to stand either side of the room in case things went south for her. Bogo, believing them to be ZPD officers, was visibly unsure as to why they nodded in acknowledgement of her command, but maintained his steely glare all the same.

Satisfied that the chief would be dealt with if he protested, the ewe managed to squeeze past the last few impatient reporters and doddered onto the stage, stumbling slightly on her way up the stairs. The oaken podium, with a microphone and small LED lamp attached to its top, towered over her, but, as she had requested, a stool had been placed beneath it, which she presently climbed up onto, steadying herself. It created the rather alarming illusion that she had gained a few feet in height.

Bellwether placed her papers, consisting of the all-important black file and a few speech notes, onto the podium, smoothing out the creases. She tactfully chose to ignore Bogo's indignant expression as he recognised the folder's cover, but restrained himself for the moment.

This was now a game of two sides.

Having arranged all her materials in a manner she found serviceable, Bellwether finally looked up and out at the veritable sea of mammals concentrated near the stage, all of whom appeared to be on quite literal tenterhooks. The anticipation in the now-silent room was such that one could have cut it with a knife.

She cleared her throat as meekly as she could manage, and began.

"Well. First off, I should probably thank you all for attending at such short notice. I understand the ZNN has been pretty busy lately, what with the horrific city-wide attacks and everything, so it's nice to see this kind of turnout."

A few conciliatory nods dotted across the crowd, but ones which urged her to skip the formalities and get the hell on with it.

"It's been just under a month since I took up office as mayor of Zootopia, and since day one, I've had to make some difficult decisions. Decisions which, under normal circumstances, I may not have condoned. But, as I reminded ZPD Chief of Police Bogo less than 24 hours ago," she pointed at him, finally acknowledging the sullen buffalo, "desperate times call for desperate measures."

A hand was tentatively raised amid the horde, and Bellwether made a 'cut' motion with her hoof.

"And I'm gonna have to stop you right there. I know you're all most likely spring-loaded with queries you want to hurl my way, but we're working on a strict time limit here," she indicated the large 24-hour clock on the wall of the lobby, "so if I could just ask that you contain your enthusiasm until the end."

A renewed silence fell over the room. The atmosphere, she noted, was not unlike that of a morgue.

"Alright. Now, we come to the point."

She picked up a small black clicker that had been left for her on the podium, and pressed its button. High above the heads of the crowd, a projector whirred into life, shining a series of slides against the wall behind Bellwether, just as Judy had done during her press conference.

The difference being, of course, that the ewe knew exactly what she was doing.

"There isn't an animal in the entire city that isn't aware we have, of late, been plagued by a series of ghastly attacks. Though the perpetrators in each instance have been members of a different species, including, but not limited to..."

She pressed the clicker again, and with each push of the button, a new image of a savage mammal, muzzled and visibly terrified, appeared on the wall.

"... a polar bear, a jaguar, a panther, an otter, and, most recently," knowing what was next, she delivered the click with the utmost relish, "a fox..."

Nick's face, larger than life, was projected behind her with a dramatic flourish, and the crowd began scribbling feverishly. Bogo, catching onto where this was going, flared his nostrils with an audible snort.

"... one element has remained consistent across the board. All of the attackers, without exception, have been part of the predator family; a group of mammals who, as our very own _former_ ," she emphasised the word, "officer Judy Hopps pointed out not long ago, traditionally survived in the wild via an irrepressible biological desire to kill prey. A desire which may now be bubbling a little too near the surface."

A few disoriented looks from the crowd told her she was perhaps allowing her façade to fall apart a little, so she took the opportunity to gather herself and look down at her speech notes, checking what the next point on the list was.

"With all that in mind, priority number one in City Hall since the scale of the incident became obvious has been searching for an ethical, and ideally final, solution to the problem, so as to preserve both the safety and welfare of Zootopia's citizens, as well as the integrity of its justice system."

A pointed glance at Bogo, accompanied by a wry smirk. No reaction.

"So, I'm pleased to announce..."

Cameras and microphones were raised to incredible heights.

"... that a decision in this regard has been reached."

The dam burst. A surreal concoction of joy, confusion and excitement seemed to emanate from the crowd as they compared notes, chattering ceaselessly, and some began making phone calls, evidently assuming the scoop of the century was imminent.

Bellwether couldn't help but admire the effect her scheme had had on the public, to the point where its 'rectification' was apparently grounds for messianic celebration.

"I know. Right there with you, everyone. Pretty exciting stuff."

Not joining the joviality, however, was Bogo, whose eyes had now widened as she opened up the black file, its glossy cover glinting ominously underneath the stage lights.

 _She wouldn't dare._

As though she had heard his inner monologue, the ewe subtly shot him a piercing, malevolent glare which penetrated directly into his consciousness.

Bellwether skim-read the accursed page, paying particular attention to her amendment, and extracted it from the folder, placing it on the podium. She made a point of making the cover discernible to Bogo as she closed the file; daring him, challenging him to say something. The buffalo held his ground.

 _Relenting so soon, Chief? Disappointing. We could have made a go of it._

She coughed a few times to regain the attention of the frantic horde, who soon calmed down and tuned back in.

"Thank you. Now, I'll be upfront here, since as mayor I figure it's my duty to be honest. What I'm about to announce isn't going to go down well with some of you." She cast an eye over the crowd. "Roughly half of you, in fact."

A couple of hesitant laughs.

"But just know this: everything that's being put into effect today, and into the foreseeable future, is not out of malice, or hate, or a corrupt or spiteful inability to look beyond the kind of small-mindedness some among us sadly possess. Far from it. It's being done to ensure a safe and prosperous future for Zootopia, one of which we can all be proud. And hey," she flailed cheerily, "if it keeps several hundred more citizens from being mauled to death, who's to complain, am I right?"

 _Several hundred? Maybe setting the bar a little high for yourself, Dawn._

"So. Here it is. The little piece of paper which will put an end to all this. At least, that's what I'm hoping." Several reporters zoomed their cameras in as she showed them the document. "Oh, you want to get some pictures? Go right ahead. It's one for the history books, folks."

An orchestra of clicks and flashes filled the lobby as photographers from a variety of newspapers snapped their own angle. Bogo stiffened.

"It's all signed, you'll notice. Very official. 100% approved."

Deciding that the final blow would be best delivered with as serious a demeanour as possible, she straightened her dress and adopted a sombre expression.

"Predators, who have proven themselves to be a potentially dangerous group of animals, both in the distant past and in recent weeks, can't be allowed to wander around unchecked for as long as the risk of savagery remains. It may seem like a generalisation, a prejudiced one, even, but it pays to be cautious. Therefore..."

She gulped once, uncharacteristically nervous, and read the concluding paragraph of the document.

"... with immediate effect, the Zootopian Police Department, under direct orders and supervision from the government..."

Bogo began to advance.

"I'd advise you to stand down, Bellwether. My officers will _not_ be used as leverage for-"

She continued, unfazed and now in her stride.

"... will be instigating, and enforcing, by any means necessary, be they legal, forceful, or indeed, lethal..."

The last word rooted the buffalo to the spot.

"... with the understanding that any persons associated with those concerned will, after the fact, be considered fugitives..."

 _That one goes out to you, Judy Hopps._

"... a mandatory detainment and subsequent quarantine of all predatory citizens in Zootopia."

A deathly stillness fell upon the room as she clicked one final time, and a chilling image of a series of cold, clinical, padded cells, not unlike those beneath the Savannah Central General Infirmary, was projected onto the wall.

Bogo strode forward, enraged.

The henchmen fired.

* * *

 _ ***cue dramatic sting***_

 _ **Well, I don't really have much to say. This chapter speaks for itself. Part of the reason it took so long to come out was because it had to go through a couple of revisions to really nail down Bellwether's announcement, it being important and all, primarily because she kept sounding like Hitler in earlier drafts. I needed her to be a mite more sympathetic than that. Just a smidge.**_

 _ **We're back with Judy and Nick next time. Reviews are appreciated. See you then.**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter 11 inbound. I don't have a whole lot to say in this AN, other than thanks again to all those who follow/favourite/just read my work, and apologies once more for the brief dry spell. This time around, however, I guess I can clue you all into one of the things that's been eating into my potential fic-penning time; I have, of late, begun writing for an independent games magazine, which, as you can imagine, is a pretty huge commitment that's been making some of these updates sparse. I'm really happy with the way it's going, though, and I will try and keep this story near the top of the priority list, despite life's best efforts to push it down into Backburnerville.**_

 _ **Anyway, enough grovelling. Back to our scheduled chapter.**_

 _ **Wait. This is the 11**_ _ **th**_ _ **chapter. And, as we all know, 1 + 1 = 2. Which can only mean one thing: I still don't own Zootopia. C'mon, Iger. You know you want to.**_

* * *

Judy sat for a while in the small ditch Nick had dug for her, cradling her by-now vast array of injured appendages. The pain, once throbbing and inexorable, had diminished to an occasional unpleasant pulsating sensation localised around her thigh.

The rabbit had, in a short space of time, also become accustomed to the damp, musky scent that had initially assailed her sensitive nose when they arrived at the cave. Probably because she was used to living like that back in Zootopia.

 _Bucky, Pronk: I owe you one._

She took several shallow, deliberate breaths, timed to the incessant dripping sound of groundwater leaking through the cave's 'ceiling', partly in an effort to try and lull herself into a sense of calm, but mostly because it helped her think.

None of her heightened senses had detected any sign that Nick was near the dwelling for what she assumed was at least half an hour, so it was clear he'd discovered something to amuse himself with – or to rip apart – which had allowed Judy to relax a little.

Even if he _was_ most likely currently stalking an innocent, unevolved woodland creature, he had at least lost interest in _her_ for the moment.

She stopped this train of thought before it devolved into rather morbid territory, and, bracing herself against one of the numerous jagged rock protrusions making up the cave floor, decided that she was unlikely to reach any game-changing epiphanies lounging in mud. With considerable effort, tempered only a little by the dulled pain, she managed to climb to her feet and balance herself at an angle from which she was at least half-sure she wouldn't topple over.

Judy staggered somewhat as she crossed to the entrance, and she couldn't help chuckling bitterly at the irony.

A few weeks ago, she'd been chasing a thief through a bustling metropolis, over rooftops and atop cars. And now here she, supposedly the figurehead of the ZPD, was: nervous, gangling, and barely able to walk. _Doing you proud, mom and dad. Cream of the crop. The huge, very fruitful crop._

She squinted, emerging into bright daylight; the rainfall having passed as quickly as it began. The leaflitter remained fairly dry underfoot – she had been expecting an unsavoury moistness to greet her – a testament to the density of the canopy overhead.

Now that she was no longer dangling from the jaws of a fox, the rabbit could orientate herself a little better. For the first time in what felt like an aeon, she could truthfully say she had no clue where she was; though all the clues she'd run into thus far suggested they had crashed somewhere in the woodland surrounding the bullet train tracks, that didn't exactly narrow it down. The seemingly endless stretches of trees and foliage in all directions, impossible to usefully distinguish from each other, complicated matters. Glancing around, Judy realised that she would have been hard-pressed to even point out where they'd come from en route to the cave, such was the sparsity of landmarks.

The landscape wasn't entirely unwelcoming, however. The pure, natural serenity of the forest, if perhaps dissonant to the situation, stood in stark contrast to the concrete jungle of Zootopia. Despite herself, Judy allowed for a brief moment of respite as she inhaled what could quite easily have been her first real breath of fresh air in days, before turning her mind to more practical matters.

She smacked her lips a couple of times, and was surprised to discover her tongue felt like sandpaper. She was parched, and somehow hadn't noticed. As if adding its own voice to the plea, her stomach emitted an audible growl, contracting weakly.

Irrespective of the fact she had far more pressing issues to contend with, her mind and body had evidently decided in that moment that, no, she was going to drop everything. _Food. Water. Now._

She massaged her abdomen a little to sooth the rumbling, and began sniffing the air, her nose twitching as it scanned the airwaves for evidence of anything edible. The rabbit soon switched to her tried-and-true method of flattening one ear to her head and listening with the other as it became apparent the scent of fern was going to override everything else.

A veritable symphony of noises scattered through the underbrush suddenly became discernible; birds singing merrily, tree branches creaking ominously overhead – however, one sound caught her attention, cutting through the commotion: the unmistakeable babble of a stream.

As it had done when she had been listening for expired traffic meters just weeks ago, the raised ear shot up straight and tilted involuntarily in the direction of the noise. _Thank God._ It didn't seem to be far.

Judy tried her damnedest to keep her head held high and her face from flinching due to the omnipresent thrum in her leg as she trusted her sense of hearing to lead the way. The flora she passed as she limped onwards, much to her frustration, all looked the same. _Fantastic. I'm going to wind up_ lost _, as well._

She devoted the majority of her mental capacity to a, perhaps futile, effort to try and map out her course until, at last, she pushed aside a few brittle branches and creepers to reveal her destination. A gentle brook of what appeared to be crystal clear (which, more importantly, meant it was clean) water, glimmering beneath the few rays of light that pierced the canopy, extended before her.

Judy felt a surge of gratitude towards her partner since, even in his feral state, he'd had the decency to deposit her near a consistent source of nourishment.

She neared the bank closest to where she stood, not wanting to walk more than was necessary, and knelt down at the water's edge. The stream was fairly shallow, but deep enough to accommodate a small school of fish, who scattered manically as Judy's looming silhouette descended on them. Her stomach roared again, and for the briefest of moments, she was incredibly tempted to reach in and catch one – fish were, after all, one of the few genera that hadn't gotten around to evolving to the level of mammals yet – but her basic herbivorous instinct, combined with her common sense, convinced her otherwise.

She wasn't going to stoop that low. Yet.

Instead, she pressed her paws together in a cup shape and began scooping valuable rounds of water up into her mouth, swallowing it down gratefully. The lack of sunlight ensured it was cool, which Judy, hot and the soles of her feet sticky with sweat, could not have been more thankful for. She drank happily for a while, her natural urges taking over as gulp after gulp disappeared down her gullet.

Satisfied she was fully hydrated, she rolled up her sleeves and unbuttoned the top of her shirt's collar, splashing the soothing liquid against her cuts and bruises. It had an instant numbing effect, relieving the stinging sensation, and cleaned out the sediment that had gathered around her neck and arms – it was a placebo, sure, but she didn't care in the least.

Judy sighed contentedly as she finished washing the rest of her wounds, then looked down into the running stream, finding her own face staring right back; reflected in the shimmering water. It was hardly a pretty sight. Bags under her eyes. Unkempt, singed and dishevelled fur with a few patches missing. Faded crimson splotches; the remnants of blood. _Look at yourself, Hopps. You're a wreck._

She wiped a paw across her muzzle, removing the drops of water that had begun dribbling from her nose. If anything, this messed up her fur even more, but she couldn't have been more apathetic about her appearance at present.

The rabbit gazed wistfully into the water a few minutes longer, and, with a groan, was about to heave herself to her feet again, when she heard something that froze her like a rock.

A lapping sound from the opposite bank.

Someone else was there with her.

Overcome with dread, her head tilted up, and her suspicions were confirmed in an instant.

His snout half-submerged in the stream and his eyes mercifully paying no attention to her, Nick stood less than a metre away from her across the brook; only a small sliver of water separated predator and prey.

Judy, aware that to make any sudden movements would be tantamount to suicide, slowly and cautiously scooted away from the bank on her rear end, not daring to tear her gaze away from the fox for even a split-second. Dead leaves rustled and twigs snapped under her weight as she shuffled backwards, but Nick, after pausing for a moment, continued to drink, his tongue acting like a ladle.

There was no way in hell he didn't know she was there, but he was clearly preoccupied with something his regressed mental condition deemed to be of higher importance. Judy conveyed herself behind a tree root not far from the water and looked on as Nick finished up, lifted his snout out of the stream, and licked his jowls clean.

He appeared to stare blankly into the middle distance for a while, his glassy eyes unblinking and resolute; Judy risked emerging from her hiding spot slightly to get a better view. A few weak, muffled snorts and exhales issued forth from his nose, and his ears and tail twitched aimlessly. The rabbit's eyes moved downward to examine the rest of his body, and her heart was pierced with another pang of sadness – she seemed to be getting those a lot lately – as she took in the extent of his afflictions in full daylight for the first time.

Several of the sticking-plasters the doctors had applied to him back at the hospital were either peeling or absent entirely, presumably due to the rain, lending his formerly well-kept fur the awful addition of a few bald patches where the strong adhesives used on the bandages had pulled hundreds of hair strands away with them. As a result, some of his scabs had been scraped off and, in turn, a few cuts had reopened, which Nick presently began to lick, raising his paw to his back and neck to reach the affected areas once he had moistened it. Judy observed in dismay as her friend visibly flinched every time his warm saliva made contact with the wounds. She was no medical expert, but even she was certain the introduction of his drool (which had, over the past week, come into contact with blood from at least two different animals, mud, and whatever the indifferent medics had been pumping into him) to open injuries was far from healthy.

Plus, it was obvious he was in pain; which, naturally, was more important.

Judy weighed her options, scooting out further from behind the root. In theory, if she and Nick were going to be in this for the long haul, she needed to acclimate him to her – in other words, be sure he wasn't going to murder her – sooner rather than later. It wouldn't be conducive to success for the two to be engaging in savage predatory chases every time they crossed paths.

Until she found a way to snap him out of it, they weren't going to be on good terms; but to form a pseudo-truce, albeit an uneasy one, would be far simpler. _The things I do for you, Nicholas Wilde._

Her mind made up, the rabbit stood, stabilized herself, and crossed over to the stream again. Her eyes remained dead-centre, staring him down with her head erect in an attempt to make herself look as big as possible. For all she knew, she might have been walking blindly to her doom.

Judy's heart skipped a beat as Nick finally took notice of her approach, abandoning his work to lock eyes with her. Her newfound confidence had evidently taken him by surprise, as he stood rooted to the spot, silent and unmoving, but tracking her intently all the same. As far as she could tell, he wasn't preparing to pounce. By all accounts, they were in a similar boat. Both unsure of what the other was about to do.

Taking care not to step on any sharp rocks, she placed one foot in the flowing brook and, reasonably certain she wasn't going to be swept away by the current, followed suit with the other. The cool water lapped at her ankles, and Judy raised her front paws, signalling to Nick she meant him no harm. Regardless, his wariness grew, and a low growl began to echo from deep in his throat.

It was at this point that she sincerely began to question the safety of what she was doing.

Desperate to keep her cool, she began to talk to her partner in as steady a voice as she could manage; mostly for her own sake.

"I kind of figured you'd show up here, Nick. Free food and water that you don't have to work for?" A small chuckle as she indicated the stream and the fish within. "Seems like something _you'd_ never be able to pass up."

 _Hey, go easy on me, Carrots. Being a wanted felon on the run from a corrupt judicial system is thirsty work._

The monster bared its teeth. Judy gulped, but pressed on. The growling developed into a definite snarl as she clambered up onto Nick's bank, now mere inches from his maw.

 _Isn't there a thing against police officers invading personal space? Not that I don't trust you. Just wouldn't want you to violate protocol, you know?_

Her voice shook. "Well, again: not an officer anymore. Which means I can bend the rules a bit." She began to stretch a paw towards his back. The snarl grew louder.

 _And touching. OK. We're at the touching stage now. This is moving a little fast for me, Fluff._

A faint smirk. "Suits me just fine."

 _Sly bunny._

A fiery aura burned within its glazed eyes; a warning. But as Judy gazed deeper, a subtle note of something else – something unexpected – flickered there.

Fear.

Her paw pressed up against his matted orange fur.

Contact.

* * *

 _ **I hope the fact that a fair few of these chapters have ended on cliffhangers isn't starting to wear thin. I already feel really bad that I made you wait so long for this instalment, so to screw up the pacing would be a second nail in the coffin.**_

 _ **Again, I hope you're all OK with the delays; though to make up for this one's late arrival, I've already begun writing the next one – I have the next couple of days clear of other obligations – so chapter 12 will be arriving in relatively short order. It picks up straight after this, and the feels crank up. Look forward to it.**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**Write a fanfiction chapter? I'm not just gonna write a fanfiction chapter. I'm gonna write TWO fanfiction chapters. Before Monday.**_

 _ **Yep, as promised, here's another. Some reviewers have pointed out that the ending to the last chapter bore an uncanny resemblance to the Dog Whisperer, which, while I didn't intend for that to be the case, I do find pretty amusing. Hopefully the events of this chapter will dispel that similarity, though. Enjoy.**_

 _ **Now, I don't want to say anything too prematurely, but: Bob Iger was just on the phone with my agent. Really. Still not sure whether he was suing me or handing over the rights to Zootopia, but I'll keep you posted.**_

* * *

Silence rang in Judy's ears as she screwed her eyes shut.

She was dead.

She had to be.

There was no way she could still be alive.

And yet she still felt the gentle breeze drifting through the forest against her cheek. The damp, cool mud beneath her feet.

The warmth of Nick's fur pressed up against her paw.

She opened her eyes and found herself staring straight into his. The by-now familiar black voids, wide and closer to her than they had ever come, hovered before her muzzle; the fox having turned his head to face her. A lump formed in her throat, and she hastily swallowed it back down.

The monster hadn't attacked – indeed, the only sign it had acknowledged her contact was a slight recoil - for which she was eminently thankful, but the difficult part was yet to come.

The serene babble of the stream beckoned her to lower in a paw, and she answered the call, dampening the hand she intended to use. As if to remind her that, on its terms, their dynamic had not changed, the beast bore its teeth, tinged yellow with two weeks' worth of unchecked plaque; but made no sound. Whether this was due to pain or confusion, Judy couldn't tell.

She flicked her paw a few times to shake off the excess moisture and raised it to Nick's eye level to allow him to observe what she was doing. This was not an area in which she had zero expertise: in her youth, her father, in his infinite paranoia, had gone to great lengths to teach her how to handle an encounter with an aggressive fox, and had even made her try out some defensive manoeuvres on a few of her siblings, much to their chagrin.

Nick's eyeline followed her paw as she began to reach towards the largest cuts on his back to clean them, prioritising the ones she had seen him licking. Those were the ones most likely to be infected.

 _Police officer, conductor, and now a doctor? There really isn't an end to your talents, is there, Carrots?_

A playful grin. She whispered under her breath. "Well, to be fair, I did crash the train."

 _True. Come to think of it, your career with the fuzz didn't exactly go out on a high note, either._

Judy stiffened. Even her subconscious was betraying her now, spelling out her inadequacies in the voice of her friend.

 _Still, two out of three ain't bad._

The rabbit snapped herself out of it and continued searching for the first cut to address. "Says the popsicle hustler."

 _Hey, at least I held down the job for 20 years. That's what you call commitment._

She located her first target. "No, I'm pretty sure that's what you call desperation."

 _I think you're forgetting who's supposed to be the savage one here._

Judy chuckled and, parting what remained of the fur surrounding a particularly nasty gash on his torso, finally pressed her paw, slick with the cold liquid, to the injury.

The result was immediate. Something snapped inside the monster, which, having clearly decided it needed to reassert its dominance, let loose a resounding, guttural snarl and slashed a paw in her direction, claws bared. Judy, thinking fast, tumbled backwards onto the leaflitter and allowed the blow to swipe safely overhead. Her body might have been damaged, but she wasn't going to let the same happen to her reflexes.

The snarl diminished into a gentle rumbling noise, not unlike a purr, albeit more hostile, and Judy, her confidence bolstered, snapped upright again, fixing the fox with a steely glare.

"Hey, whoa. Easy."

The gaze was returned by much less expressive eyes, but ones which still burned with a fiery contempt. The beast's fangs remained visible and its hackles raised, but this time there came no objection, or at least a very negligible one, when she resumed daubing the wound. An infrequent snap of its jaws punctuated the otherwise silent atmosphere as she continued, moving from cut to cut and removing the dirt and sediment from each. Whenever her paw dried, she bent back down over the bank's edge and rewet it in the flowing brook.

She applied the same level of care and tenderness to the process that she had done when, way back in her childhood, her mother had laid weak and bedridden after her brother Terry had taken a chunk out of her arm, having been infected with Night Howlers. She'd brought Bonnie endless bowls of steaming carrot stew that she had made herself and sat by her bedside whenever she could, telling her mother stories about how she was going to make something of herself, how she was going to make the world a better place. Bonnie had always looked on with a warm, encouraging smile, contented that, out of her hundreds of children, she'd been blessed with just one like Judy.

If only they could have known what a crucial significance that whole ordeal would have over a decade later.

With every affliction she dealt with, Nick appeared to become gradually more comfortable with her presence, a fact which amazed her; she couldn't believe her luck, how receptive this volatile creature was being to her touch.

 _Maybe we can bump that up to four, Fluff. Officer, conductor, doctor, and now a masseur. You're running the gamut._

By now, she was onto the last few cuts. "Five, actually, if we're keeping count. Before you and I made up, I was a carrot farmer for a while back in Bunnyburrow."

 _Uh-huh. So I was right about that. Called it._

She sighed. "Yep. But you were wrong about something else."

 _Now this I've gotta hear._

"I _did_ end up being a real- " She stopped herself. Had she been a real cop? Sure, she'd found all fourteen missing mammals and won the respect of Bogo...

 _That's kind of an achievement in itself, really._

... but when it had really mattered, when the fate of the city hung in the balance, she'd failed to catch the person responsible. She and Nick had made it out alive, but at what cost? Her closest friend since coming to Zootopia had been turned insane and committed, Bellwether was still running around, above suspicion, and she herself had wound up almost incapacitated for a while. _Some cop you turned out to be, Judy._

 _Hey, don't sell yourself short, Carrots. I didn't see any other officers following up on their leads with as much dedication as you. Or any of your colleagues pushing through in the face of prejudice and a harsh 48-hour time limit. Or anyone at all sticking by me._

She sniffled, but didn't allow this to develop into tears, aware beneath the surge of emotion that she was still only hearing a figment of her imagination.

But she'd have been lying if she said it didn't help a little.

 _Fifteen years ago, if someone had told me that one of the most dependable, caring, understanding people I would ever have the pleasure of calling a friend was gonna be a cop, and a bunny too, I'd have laughed them off. Now, it doesn't seem so crazy anymore._

She wiped something out of her eye and smiled. "Whatever happened to 'never let them see that they get to you'?"

 _Well, you can't see me, can you?_

Unable to fault this logic, Judy finished up, dipped her paws in the stream to dispel the clots of dried blood which had accumulated there, and turned to Nick, whose gaze had not fallen from her face throughout the whole thing.

The two simply sat there for what felt like an eternity, amethyst orbs reflected in glassy black. A faint echo of tension threatened to bubble up at the back of her mind, but she suppressed it and maintained eye contact.

And then, without a sound or the slightest acknowledgement of what had just transpired, the fox stood, turned, and limped off deeper into the woods. His tail, she noted, was no longer being held erect; it drooped downwards between his back haunches.

Judy was mildly affronted by this indifference. She muttered to herself. "You're welcome, slick."

 _Well, I don't know about you, Carrots, but if I were in your position, I'd have thought the fact I was still in one piece would be thanks enough._

Brushing a few strands of loose fur, both orange and grey, from her shirt, she staggered to her feet and stretched. She hadn't realised how long she'd been sitting in that awkward position, nor that the bottom of her shirt was soaked with water, but it clicked once she felt her lower body ache in protest. The bunny yawned and scratched her back, before turning her thoughts to her friend. It was, at this point, likely that he wasn't planning on returning to the cave anytime soon, and she wasn't about to lose him after coming this far. Thus, she was suddenly struck by a snap decision: she was going to follow him. _At a safe distance_.

She looked around her, and saw that Nick had left similar forensic evidence behind him as he'd slouched off – a clear trail of dried pelt hair, standing out garishly against the drab hues of the forest floor. Judy gave it a minute or so to be absolutely certain he'd had a head start, and started off in the direction he'd left in.

Twigs, fallen branches and the like snapped and crunched underfoot as she pressed onwards, her route unmissably marked by her partner's fallen coat. Eventually, she came to a series of bushes, at about waist height, that Nick, being quadrupedal, had evidently had to crawl under – the mud and dirt beneath the shrubbery was more dislodged here. Judy, however, despite her bad leg, was easily able to push them aside and climb over. This deposited her at the outskirts of a clearing, lined by rocks and with what appeared to be a slight incline at one end, and it was here that she saw him.

Judy crept over and, hiding herself behind a sizable boulder, stuck her head round the side cautiously. Her nose twitched curiously and her ears stood upright.

It was a pitiful sight. Far from the possessive, predatory gait with which he had chased her through Zootopia and picked her up from the crash site, Nick walked back and forth across the clearing in a manner which, had he been his usual self, Judy would have interpreted as denoting anguish. Her heart dropped as she caught a glimpse of his otherwise emotionless face as he paced: mangy, disorientated and, much more subtly, afraid.

Against her better judgment, she began making her way around the edge of the clearing, from rock to rock, in order to get a closer look. The underbrush suddenly became a minefield as she took considerable care not to tread on anything which might elicit a loud enough noise to tip Nick off to her presence.

Judy came to the rock nearest to where he was, at the end of the clearing where the incline lay. She looked behind her and examined the fall; while not especially steep, it still appeared to be a fair way down, and at the bottom lay an unpleasant assortment of thorny briars and bracken. She gulped, but swivelled her head back around to observe her friend again.

He continued to pace incessantly, pausing only to pick up a dislodged piece of tree bark unfortunate enough to be lying around and thrash it about in his jaws. Had it been prey, this would have been done to break its neck, but Judy, in a desperate attempt to anthropomorphise the monster, suspected that this outburst was down to frustration.

The rabbit squinted to focus her line of sight on his face, and found herself choking up when he turned round one more time for another length. She could have been mistaken, but the angle of the sun's rays falling onto his body made her almost certain. She saw something she hadn't seen in his eyes for weeks. Something which caused a swelling, soaring sensation somewhere deep inside her.

White.

In her excitement, Judy took a hasty step forwards. She didn't look where she placed her foot.

 _Snap._

Although in reality it was probably much quieter, the simple noise of the twig breaking seemed to resonate for miles. She gasped in horror and shrank down into the foetal position, praying to God that Nick hadn't heard.

He had.

Within seconds, the monster was up against the other side of the rock, clawing and swiping down at the terrified bunny who cowered below. She chanced a glance up, and it was instantly plain that any goodwill she had forged with it from cleaning its wounds had been vanquished.

And then she felt it again. Just like in the hospital parking lot, red sparks danced behind her pupils, and a powerful rush of adrenaline, combined with the bizarre sensation of weightlessness, washed over her. It was as though she was blacking out – being consumed by an inexorable force, slipping away from herself. Her uninjured leg, joined now by her neck, throbbed insistently. _What the hell was wrong with her?_

The sensation subsided, but not quite as fast this time, once the beast began snarling, about to climb over the boulder. Judy felt utterly boxed in, her escape routes to the left and right constituting hiding behind rocks that wouldn't hold the fox for a second. No. There was only one way out from here.

She closed her eyes and, for the second time that day, allowed herself to fall backwards.

The rabbit tumbled and cascaded down the hill, an agonising jolt of pain shooting up her thigh with every bump. Regardless, as she neared the bottom, she couldn't help but feel a slight note of satisfaction at her quick-thinking and intuition. That even though she was at a natural disadvantage, being prey, she hadn't lost her smarts or guile.

Then again, she wasn't the one unable to think clearly, still reeling from being juiced up on Night Howler toxins.

 _I'm not complaining. To be honest, these past few days I'm pretty sure I've had more exercise than I've had in total over the last 32 years. Sure does a body good._

Judy braced herself for impact, but was relieved to discover that, thanks to her light weight and supple build, the briars didn't hurt her as much as she'd thought they would. Instead, she crashed gently into the briar patch and rolled out from underneath it, only receiving a nick or two from a couple of well-placed thorns. _And speaking of Nicks..._

She scrambled to her feet and looked up, seeing that the monster was already halfway down the hill, its more agile form allowing it to sprint down the gradient with ease.

Not wasting a second, Judy turned and began to make a break for it. She had no clue where she was going, but so long as it was _away_ from an untimely demise, she didn't care.

Until she heard him.

Piercing through the air, as clear as it had been that night in the police cruiser.

Nick was whining again.

She whirled around, forgetting her escape attempt entirely, and the sight made her eyes widen, her stomach clench and her heart seize up.

The fox thrashed wildly, ensnared in the thorns and branches, whimpering as the cruel jagged plants dug ever deeper into his already-weakened flesh.

But as morbid and upsetting as this image was, Judy's gaze, now misted over, was drawn to his face.

To the branches that, due to the force of his impact, had wrapped themselves tightly around his snout, rendering him unable to open his jaws.

 _And now, time for a little ditty I like to call: 'Painfully Dragging Up Traumatic Childhood Memories.'_

He'd been muzzled.

 _I'd teach you the words, but you clearly already know them, Judy._

Without a second thought, she was at his side, valiantly fighting back the flood of distress that threatened to burst her dam of stoicism. He growled a little in warning, but this soon gave way to further yelps of pain, which only fuelled her determination.

Ignoring the stinging in her front paws as the thorns penetrated her skin, Judy tugged at each branch, snapping them with difficulty and slowly freeing Nick. He snorted in tandem with each removal, in very obvious relief.

Finally, she came to those restraining his jaws. If she was being honest with herself, she wasn't completely sure she wanted to do this. If she did, she'd be a sitting bunny for him if he decided to continue the assault.

One last whimper, the sincerest one she'd yet heard, made the decision for her.

With an almighty heave, Judy pulled, and the branch fell away, but not without first scraping the top of Nick's snout, leaving a deep gash. She backed away immediately and clasped a paw over her mouth as she watched him disentangle himself, blood oozing from the wound she had just created. _Oh, God. What have I done?_

 _Let me answer that one for you, Carrots. You did the right thing._

The fox shook off the remaining briars and limped over to her, evidently having lost all interest in the chase. He made no attempt to lick or address the new cut, but instead simply adopted the usual glassy expression, sat down, and stared straight into her.

It took her a few moments, but then it hit her.

Judy rolled up part of the lower hem of her shirt, still moist with the stream's water, and, bunching it up into her fist, fashioned a small handkerchief of sorts. Something told her Nick wouldn't lash out this time and, without a moment's hesitation, she began to clean the gash. No reaction.

She wiped away the blood, reducing it to a dribble, and tenderly extracted a couple of wayward thorns lodged in the surrounding area. All the way through, Nick refused to break eye contact.

With one final wipe, she finished the job, and allowed her shirt to unfurl itself back down her torso. The fox continued to stare and Judy, testing her luck now, gingerly stretched out one paw and rested it on his head.

He and the bunny stood motionless for a minute or so, her paw making light back-and-forth motions atop his crown, until eventually he stood, shot her one last glance, and trudged off into the wilderness.

Judy, awed by what had just happened, watched him leave.

His tail no longer hid between his legs.

* * *

 _ **So, in other news: we've hit over 100 followers! Ain't that a thing of beauty? Seriously, though, much gratitude to all of you. I know I say it a lot, but that's only because I mean it. Short of getting sappy on everyone: thanks. It makes my day to see that number crawl ever higher.**_

 _ **As ever, reviews are appreciated! Hope you enjoyed this instalment, and see you in the next one. Whichever decade it happens to be written in, amirite? I'm kidding. I hope.**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**Uh-oh. Chapter 13. Let's just get the obvious over with: superstition, bad luck, yada yada yada.**_

 _ **However, in a reversal of a familiar theme, I have some good news to tell you all! Here's the catch, though: I'm posting it at the end of the chapter, so you'll have to wade through an entire wall of text first. Ha! I'm an evil genius! Unless, of course, you just scroll to the bottom. But that would be cheating. You're all better than that.**_

 _ **I'll also pre-empt any grievances; this one is a little slower and shorter than the last two, but I just wanted to address precisely how Judy was planning to survive out in the wild. I figured it'd be best to devote a chapter to establishing how the little boring details, like her eating and navigating, will work before moving onto the next major plot twist.**_

 _ **Speaking of which – the story takes a drastic, dramatic turn next chapter, which will be arriving in short order. Stick around.**_

 _ **Anyway, hope you enjoy, and please do allow the excitement and anticipation to gnaw away at you as you read.**_

 _ **The Wi-Fi signal in this cell block is abysmal.**_

* * *

Judy kept track of the sun's position in the sky throughout the rest of the day, as, without her cellphone, it remained her sole method of telling the time. The fact that often she could hardly see it through the forest's canopy didn't help matters. Still, when she was a kid, her father Stu had taken great delight in teaching her how to read her shadow to keep time (and, more specifically, how to apply this knowledge to knowing when foxes were likely to be up and about) so she wasn't at as big a disadvantage as she could have been.

After she had watched Nick leave, and had decided she was content he wouldn't get lost, the first thing she'd done was inspect the vicious briars which had ensnared her friend just moments prior. They had been covered in unsettling evidence of his struggle; freshly drawn blood, in more copious amounts than she'd realised, dripped steadily from the branches which had been digging into his torso.

Judy's nose had wrinkled in disgust as the metallic scent of the red liquid drifted up her nostrils, but she was quickly distracted by something far more interesting: amid the crimson stains dotted across the thorns, a single tuft – a clump, even – of fur had snagged in the briars. Orange fur.

Nick's fur.

For reasons she couldn't entirely fathom, she had found herself pushing aside the barbed branches which stood in her way and plucking the hair free from its prison. She hadn't been sure whether she simply wanted a keepsake, or if something instinctual had been silently instructing her to retrieve the lone piece of her friend's shed coat, as if prophesying she would have some use for it in the near future; but it was with an odd sense of fulfilment that she had pocketed the fur, matted together by a combination of blood and other bodily fluids, and walked away from the briar patch without so much as a second glance.

Presently, Judy idly thumbed the fur in her pocket as she limped onwards. A few strands had come loose by now, and she passed these through her fingers like thread through a loom, marvelling at their lush softness. If nothing else, it was providing a source of comfort. Something she sorely needed.

She'd concluded that a useful application of her afternoon would be to gain a greater grasp on her immediate surroundings. As Nick seemed to have settled into their new environment more readily than she had, the prospect of them finding a way out of the woods was something Judy reasoned she'd be able to strike off her agenda for the time being. The place appeared safe, and while it wasn't exactly an ideal base of operations for plotting how best to expose a corrupt, murderous politician, they were at least unlikely to be found.

Although, knowing her luck, it wouldn't be long before Bellwether tracked them down. _So that buys us a couple of hours, I guess._

As every tree, every bush and every shrub passed her by, Judy gradually filled out the remaining corners of the rudimentary map of the lay of the land she'd started in her head on the way to the stream. Her time working in Zootopia, a city which, by its very nature, demanded those living there to develop a good sense of direction or risk being swallowed up by the daily hustle and bustle, helped her enormously with this task. Every so often, she removed her paw from her pocket and ran it along the girth of any tree she deemed a landmark, either due to its size or its location, and felt the contours and ridges making up the bark.

To the average onlooker, this act might have appeared superfluous, but Judy knew that every sliver of information she could gather was invaluable; especially for someone who had grown up in a modern society spoiled on the convenience of smartphones and GPS technology.

To this effect, all the while Judy kept one long ear alert, erect and trained on the distant sound of the stream, so as to ensure she didn't wander too far astray from familiar territory. Of course, she wasn't helpless, but she didn't trust herself quite enough to go striding – well, hobbling, to be more accurate – off into the wilderness unprepared.

Her travels culminated in her reaching the foot of a large willow tree, the presence of which threw Judy for a second, as she had only ever known them to be indigenous to less shaded regions. Its drooping branches and leaves guarded the way into what looked to be another clearing. Coming off of freeing a frantic savage predator from sturdy briar branches, brushing away this obstacle was child's play for Judy, and the sight that revealed itself when she did so took her breath away and caused her jaw to drop in awe.

Through a lonely spot in the otherwise endless canopy where a gap had been left between trees, sunlight streamed down, radiant and unimpeded by foliage (that explained the willow) and cast a gorgeous, warm golden glow into the clearing. Encouraged by the bright rays, a patch of tall green grass, perfectly shaped in the configuration of the gap, had been allowed to flourish; a refreshing and vibrant sign of life amidst an underbrush mostly composed of dead plant matter. Pink and white wildflowers poked through the earth in places, adorning the patch with a pleasing richness. Even the air around this unexpected oasis seemed to resonate with activity, as though an entire ecosystem, relying on a small portion of sunlight, had been condensed into one tenacious haven.

Such was her surprise at discovering what was likely one of the few beauty spots in the forest, Judy actually crossed to the grass and sat down, giving her an opportunity to rest her aching leg. She laid back onto the turf, finding it pleasingly soft and springy. Her eyes were soon accosted by the blinding sun-rays, so she closed them, breathing deeply. To her relief, most of her muscles began relaxing, and a placated smile etched itself onto her face.

The rabbit had to concede there was a natural tranquillity to it all. Something about the environment, preserved and untouched by civilization, harkened back to a simpler world – which, for Judy, stirred up nostalgic memories of home. For all the mockery and derision she'd had to cope with from those living there who were unconvinced of her potential, she'd always found Bunnyburrow's old-timey, homely charm irresistibly welcoming, and would frequently defend her hometown against city slickers who considered it to be nothing more than a drab backwater. Sure, it was a little rough around the edges, but what rural farming community with a population of more than 81 million wasn't?

She lay there, immobile and serene, basking in the warmth, for what she estimated was round about 10 minutes. It was only when a desperate, resounding growl from her stomach - reminding her that she _still_ hadn't eaten, for God's sake - jerked her from her reminiscence that she took another look at the sky. The bunny's eyes widened, for now they _could_ ; the light of the sun had faded, and in its place a kaleidoscope of pink and orange hues painted the air. It was dusk.

Judy scrambled to her feet, kicking herself for wasting precious time. She'd effectively dozed off for a while, and though she hadn't exactly been _sleeping_ , per se, her mind had been so far away she might as well have been. _Stop living in the past, Judy. It's the present that needs you most._

Her annoyance was short-lived, however, as her stomach rumbled once more, her hunger having returned with a vengeance. She wanted so desperately to ignore it, but as it grew louder and she began to feel genuine pangs in her midriff, she knew resistance was futile. As it had done before, her nose twitched, searching for food; but this time, the scent was so close, so potent, that it seemed to physically hit her. It was not, however, coming from anywhere around her, but rather from below. She looked downwards at her feet, and her heart leapt. _Of course_.

Judy really didn't want to start ripping up pieces of this sanctuary so soon after she'd found it, but if she was going to draw the line at eating fish, she couldn't afford to draw it at eating vegetation, too. She bent double and, making sure to pick only from areas that bore excess amounts, she plucked up several fistfuls of grass. The rabbit stuffed them into her mouth, bracing herself for an unsavoury taste, but was pleasantly surprised: barring an odd earthy aftertaste, the grass was juicy, and its time in the sun was evident in the flavour. Not that grass had a flavour to begin with, but this patch was still more palatable than most.

It was, at least, a damn sight better than the processed microwave food she'd been living off back in the city.

It took her a while to eat her fill, and she chewed each round slowly to savour it. After the first few handfuls, the taste became far blander, but she forced down as much as she could, aware that nutrition was going to be scarce if she was planning to stick to an herbivorous diet.

When the food started turning to mush and resembling cud in her mouth, a result of her not swallowing it, she decided she'd had enough, and spat the remainder of her meagre meal out. She wiped her muzzle with the back of one paw and smacked her lips, largely unsatisfied.

If that stuff was all she was going to be eating the whole time they were on the lam, she wasn't sure if she was going to cope.

With a dejected sigh, Judy took one last longing look at the heavens above. By now, the previously bright palette of colors that had made up the evening sky was muted and beginning to give way to the onset of night-time. She squinted, and was able to pick out the first glimmers of stars peeking from beyond the few clouds that still hung onto day, their bright twinkles shining down and reflecting in her amethyst orbs.

To her, they symbolised innocence, freedom, a carefree spirit; all things she no longer had.

The last beacons of purity in a world that otherwise had none left to show.

A cool breeze blew past Judy, whistling in her ears. Her fur stood on end and her cotton-tail wriggled a little. The bunny shivered and wrapped her arms around herself.

She soon realised, though, that this was not due to the cold. An overwhelming sense of personal responsibility had washed over her; the lives of so many people, whether she knew them or not, depended on her. She, Judy Hopps, was the crux, the keystone, in this whole mess. Everything revolved around her. She could _not_ fail.

And yet, compared to the infinite vastness of the inky blackness now spreading overhead, her chances seemed as small, as insignificant and trivial, as everyone had initially thought _her_ to be.

It was like a cruel practical joke played by the universe, to which she was the punchline.

Huge problem. Tiny rabbit. The ultimate mismatch. But if life had ever taught her anything, it was to hold your tongue, clam up and play the hand you're dealt. Circumstances had thrown an impossible lot at her feet, but it was _her_ lot.

She had to _own_ it.

Her face set, Judy tore her gaze away from the heavens and, deciding it best to call it a day, listened out once again for the familiar gurgle of the stream – the one landmark she knew would guide her back to the cave. To shelter.

She passed back through the willow's barrier, but took extra care to memorise the exact location of this newfound oasis; to file it away in some specially reserved corner of her memory. She knew she'd be coming back.

Judy placed her paw back in her pocket and resumed thumbing his fur. It hadn't lost any of its lustre, a fact which soothed her as she headed back the way she had come, steeling herself for what was soon to follow.

Her first night out in the wild.

With Nick.

* * *

 _ **And yes, before anyone asks: rabbits can and do eat grass. In fact, it's a staple food for them, especially in the wild. Look it up.**_

 _ **I hope the relative uneventfulness of this chapter didn't send you to sleep. Aside from what I mentioned at the start, I also figured it'd be good for the reader to spend some time alone with Judy, sans Nick, as that's something that hasn't really happened since about chapter 3. I'm of the opinion that little downtimes, little details, are important to a story. I promise, 100% promise, that things heat up next time.**_

 _ **Anyway, I know what you're here for. Here's the exciting news: 'The Food Chain' is being turned into an audiobook! *cue dramatic gasping* I know, right? I can hardly believe it either.**_

 _ **So, backstory: earlier this week, one Alexander Cole, who some of you may know from popular Zootopia fansite ZNN, wrote to me and asked whether I'd be happy for him to narrate this story on his YouTube channel (TheWritingLefty – go subscribe, he deserves it) and I happily agreed.**_

 _ **His voice is amazing, and he's already done audiobooks for such other popular Zootopia fanfictions as A Mountain I'm Willing to Die On, which you can check out on his channel. He also accepts donations – check his channel description for the link. If you like his work, go ahead and support him!**_

 _ **Anyway, here I come to another point. Myself and Alex both thought it'd be nice for the audio to have a picture to go along with, but I suck at drawing, so I'm positing this suggestion to you all: I've asked round all my friends who are good at art, and all of them are either busy or flat-out unwilling to draw Zootopia art (the unconverted).**_

 _ **So, here's the thing: I'm open to submissions from you guys. You don't have to feel obligated at all, but if you feel like it, and there's a scene from the story you think would work as a cover image, then send it my way, no matter how big or small. Who knows? You might wind up being the face of 'The Food Chain''s audiobook!**_

 _ **I hope that news hasn't sent you reeling. I'm looking forward to seeing what you guys come up with, even if it's just a suggestion for which key scene should be drawn!**_

 _ **Once the cover image is sorted, I'll provide a direct link to the audiobook series, which Alex is currently in the process of touching up. I've heard previews, and I assure you, it's good stuff.**_

 _ **Anyhow, thanks again for reading. Reviews are, as ever, appreciated. See you next chapter.**_


	14. Chapter 14

_**Coming in at a little under a week since number 13, it's... chapter 14! Funnily enough.**_

 _ **Before we dive on in, quick update on the whole audiobook thing: Alex Cole has just finished up putting the last touches on his recordings of chapters 4 and 5, so hopefully once he's got a bulk of them done we'll have the cover image sorted out and I'll be able to link you directly to the first part. Don't forget, everyone; you're welcome to send some drawings/suggestions in if you think they'd be good as a cover! Very exciting stuff.**_

 _ **Oh, and before I forget: a reviewer of Chapter 13 raised an important point which I thought I did address (or at least was suggested by the description in Chapter 3) but I'll clarify; Nick is no longer clothed. When he was at the hospital, the medics stripped him down to allow them to inject/scan/etc. So he's basically au natural now, like he was in the Zootopia teaser trailer. Isn't that neat?**_

 _ **Anyway, here's the story. Enjoy.**_

 _ **OK: assets, assets. I've got a day-old pack of chewing gum, a broken plastic spoon and a clump of lint. You know what would really help me break out of here, though? The rights to Zootopia. Which I still don't have, by the way.**_

* * *

By the time Judy made it back to the familiar territory of the stream, the last few straggling rays of sunlight had faded, blanketing the forest in an eerie darkness. The serene birdsong that had previously orchestrated the treetops had all but ceased, leaving her in silence as well; although this did, at least, make it easier to navigate via hearing. The rabbit had made sure to take a route that would allow her to go _around_ the hill she'd fallen down earlier, not wanting to have to scale such an incline in her current state. Plus, she was tired as hell at this point.

The waters flowing in the brook still sparkled, but beneath moonlight this effect was far more haunting. The sight was almost skeletal; a milky whiteness interspersed with the murky depths, all twisted and distorted by the constant motion of the current.

Judy paused briefly to wash her feet and hands of the mud that had clumped on them during her travels. The water had cooled significantly since the sun had gone in, causing the bunny to inhale sharply as the icy liquid splashed onto her skin. She soon acclimated to it, cleaning the rest of her exposed fur as much as possible, and once she had finished, she clapped her paws together a few times to dislodge any remaining pieces of dirt.

The earth tumbled from her body and into the stream where it either dissolved, got washed away, or sank to the bottom, and it was then that Judy once again caught sight of the small school of fish in residence. Harder to see now, but definitely there, darting left and right as her activity caused more ripples in the water.

She pondered for a moment, reflecting on the events of the day. In initiating the first touch contact with Nick, she had broken down the first of many barriers that stood between her and the coveted certainty that she wouldn't be eaten, but it was unlikely he, in his feral mind-set, was fully comfortable in her presence yet. In other words, she'd demonstrated she meant him no harm – but whether _he'd_ gotten to that stage was a different matter.

Judy recalled the old adage her mother had always jokingly brought up whenever Stu had come home for his evening meal after a bad day on the farm: _the way to a man's heart is through his stomach._

Though she'd always dismissed it as an archaic cliché, and she wasn't sure how well the saying would apply to someone whose mental faculties had recently been set back several generations, the basic concept could prove useful.

If she could provide an alternative source of nourishment for Nick, the chances were that, given the natural psychological rewards of food, he'd gradually begin to associate her with a consistent source of sustenance and thus be less inclined to rip her apart. _Which is always nice._

And if it wasn't going to be _her_ on the menu, it needed to be something else.

Her mind made up, Judy focused her vision, already hampered by the low light levels, onto the fish.

As she watched them swim about helplessly, unaware that one of them was soon to meet a gruesome end, she hesitated. What right did she have, as a member of the animal kingdom just as they were, to decide their fate? To just pluck an innocent creature from its habitat and cast its life aside for her own benefit?

Judy faltered, her paw halfway to the water.

Nature, and indeed society, may not have classified her a predator; but if she went through with this, was she really any different from one?

And then, though his physical form was not present, his voice rang as clear as day in her head.

 _I think we passed the point of ethical consideration around the time you stole a car, Carrots._

The bunny mentally reasoned that it was for the greater good, but it was under a degree of duress that she dipped one paw into the stream, aiming for the largest fish in the group. If she was going to do this, she was going to make sure she made the best of it.

The creature reacted instantly to her assault, darting away from her paw; its streamlined build making her job more difficult. Undeterred, she backed off for a few seconds to allow the fish to calm down, and then she reached in again, much faster this time. Another miss. She groaned in frustration.

After a few more failed attempts, it clearly caught on to what she was doing and swam a distance upstream. Thankful that it hadn't decided to ride the current away from her, Judy shifted her ground and followed the fish to its new spot in the brook, where it began circling a collection of plants growing in the bed.

Her irises became a blur of black, white and purple as she leant over the bank, tracking its erratic movements. Waiting for an opportunity to strike. Eventually, a particularly powerful ripple nudged it closer to her, and Judy went in for the kill.

The fish had no chance. Her fingers closed around its body, grasping it firmly, and before it could resist the rabbit lifted it out of the water and into the cold night air. It fought furiously, wriggling in every direction, but to no avail; Judy, still riding a sudden wave of adrenaline, pinned it to the grassy ground with both paws. She averted her eyes, not wanting to watch this poor creature's life slowly ebb away at her hands, but still felt it gradually go limp in her grip, exhausted and starved of oxygen. An unrelenting sensation of guilt washed over her as, after a minute or so, the fish gave a few last tenacious thrashes, twitched once, and then became totally still.

Judy gasped as she turned her head back around and saw her motionless catch.

It was dead. She had actually killed something.

Breathing heavily, she took a closer look at the fish. Its scales, reflecting the moonlight as the water it dwelled in had done, were a brilliant silver, each one stunning in its intricacy and design. A gorgeous scarlet hue faded into this color near its neck, surrounding its gills in a breathtaking pink tone. But for all the beauty of its body, Judy could only focus on its eyes, which remained open; glassy, blank and lifeless. The last few flickering flames of existence having been doused, extinguished in a matter of seconds.

The bunny sat back on her haunches. She ignored the pain in her leg as one single solitary thought raced through her mind over and over. The harsh reality of it all came crashing down.

She was now a hunter.

However, she did not want her melancholy to become mawkish – she didn't have time for that – and so she simply sniffled, picked up the fish, dusted herself off and continued her journey back towards the cave. Even though its capacity to appreciate tenderness was now long gone, she cradled it in her right arm, holding it close to her chest as she walked.

Soon it loomed before her; the haphazard rock structure she and Nick now called home. For the first time, Judy got a good look at the exterior, and, seeing how low the 'entrance' was situated, was amazed that Nick had ever been able to squeeze himself in, let alone the both of them at the same time.

However, as she neared the hole, with dried twigs crunching underfoot, it was something else entirely that caught her attention.

Pooling in a disturbingly large amount, with some smeared on the sides of the entrance; drips leading from where she stood into the dark bowels of the cave.

 _Blood._

Fearing the worst, Judy jogged to the hole and, ducking down, made her way inside. Despite her best efforts, a smudge of the fresh haemoglobin rubbed off onto her shirt, leaving a bright crimson stain that she knew from experience wouldn't wash out with the limited resources she had available. But that was hardly important.

She didn't quite know what she was expecting, but the scene that unfolded before her came as a relief all the same.

A small part of her had thought that the monster had perhaps reared its head once more and killed a small woodland creature, bringing it back to its den to savour the meal, but in truth the blood had come from Nick himself.

Looking as pathetically mangy and downtrodden as ever, and still licking away at some recently reopened wounds on his sides (the source of the mess) the fox stood in the dead center of the cavern, turned away from Judy. As such, he didn't hear her come in – or if he did, he didn't acknowledge her – so she took advantage of this anonymity, pressing her back up against the wall and circling round the 'room' gradually. She didn't want to risk taking him by surprise, lest he pounce in instinctual self-defence.

The bunny had hardly made it halfway around the perimeter of the cave when Nick's head shot up, his nose twitching. Judy froze in place, not from terror, but from apprehension, and looked him dead in the eyes. She found that he was not returning her gaze, and indeed he made no sound or movement in her direction; instead, all of his senses appeared to be trained on the dead fish in her hands. _Good. Exactly what she'd been hoping for._

Several audible sniffs issued forth from Nick's snout, his pupils dilated even further, and he began placing one paw in front of the other, nearing his prize. By this stage, Judy was fairly confident it wasn't her he had designs on, and so, with a dramatic flourish, she tossed the fish a safe distance across the cavern, where it fell to the ground with a sickening splat. True to her guess, the fox abandoned any cursory interest he may have had in her and made a beeline for the fallen morsel.

Feeling rather pleased with herself, Judy left him to it and crossed to the small ditch he had dug for her; she'd decided that if he'd gone to all the trouble of digging it, albeit for slightly more sordid purposes, she was going to make use of it, if only to appease him further.

The unpleasant sounds of the fish's flesh being decimated soon echoed across the cave. Judy, cursing the shape of the rockwork for having such damn good acoustics, settled into the soft patch, which by now bore an indentation in her image, and began speaking out loud (more to herself, really) in an attempt to drown out the noise.

"You'd better chew it slowly. Enjoy it a little. That's all you're getting for now."

 _Well, I'll level with you, Fluff: I wasn't expecting haute cuisine._

A perfunctory chuckle. "Bet it's a step up from prison food, though, huh?"

 _You assume they fed me at all._

Her brow furrowed. She urged her subconscious to change course; the idea of Nick being starved didn't bear thinking about.

 _A blueberry or two wouldn't have gone amiss, though._

A sly grin. "Kinda figured that'd be a sore subject for you."

 _I'm never_ _living that one down, am I?_

"Never."

 _And the worst I've got on you is that you got stuck in cement once. Fight fair, Carrots._

She sighed. "Well, that, _and_ sparking unprecedented tensions in the city, marginalising all predators, hurting you and failing to catch the criminal responsible for everything. You've actually got quite the arsenal."

 _It wouldn't count. I already forgave you for at least three of those things_.

Judy stiffened. "That implies there's one you're still stewing over."

 _Probably because it's the same one_ you're _still stewing over._

Her head swam for a while, trying to make sense of this. As far as she was aware, none of those things had been particularly playing on her mind of late. At least not to the extent they had been around the time of her resignation.

 _Here's a clue: this one wasn't in your little list._

The rabbit sat dumbfounded, utterly clueless as to what her psyche was trying to tell her through Nick's voice. Something was clearly eating away at her from the inside; something she didn't even know about.

But she didn't have long to ruminate over this. She hadn't realised she had effectively fallen into a stupor until the sound of the fox's claws padding against the stone floor jerked her out of it.

Judy rubbed her cranium, in a mixture of tiredness and confusion, and looked over to where Nick now lay.

Still without a single indication he knew or cared about her presence, he had left what remained of the fish and crossed over to a small outcropping of rock which jutted from the 'wall', creating a shelter of sorts. Presently, he curled up beneath it, his long orange-and-brown tail stretching around his body in a neat semicircle. His black eyes, devoid of their usual vigour, closed beneath crusty lids, and his head settled between his front paws.

Within minutes, his breathing had slowed to a calm rhythm, and aside from the hypnotic rise and fall of his torso in time with his inhales and exhales, the rest of his form became still. He was asleep.

Judy was awed by the tranquillity of it all. Less than 48 hours ago, to even be in the same room with the savage fox would have been roughly analogous to being handed her own death warrant. And yet here they were, mere feet apart, and the predator did nothing but doze placidly. She had no idea in hell what sort of magic she had worked during their encounter at the stream, nor did she care; as long as he was both healthy and content to not tear into her, she was happy.

She watched him for a brief spell, allowing herself to be lulled by the reassuring reliability with which his breaths came. Eventually, she yawned, gave one final stretch, and settled down into the cool mud. Unsurprisingly, dirt didn't make for ideal bedding, but it was at least softer and more yielding to her weight than the unforgiving stone slabs she had as an alternative.

Judy clasped her hands together over her stomach and cast her mind back.

It would have been a real push to label the day a total success – for one thing, her hunger had been left largely unsatisfied – but at the same time, progress had undeniably been made. She'd gotten her bearings a little better, inched her way a bit further into Nick's good books and, most importantly, she was still alive. And so was he.

Her lavender orbs closed as his had done, and it wasn't long before the foggy onset of drowse seized hold of her thoughts and tugged them gently away, causing her to fall into a deep, comfortable slumber.

Her awakening the following morning was nowhere near as pleasant.

* * *

 _ **And just like that, I'm throwing you guys in at the deep end with another cliffhanger. Don't worry, there's a reason behind this one: I'm doing the chapter split in two thing again, as I noticed that the two halves of this instalment were stupidly different in tone and just didn't gel (you'll see what I mean in part 15) So it literally swung right from Judy feeling pretty good to being utterly terrified – not to give anything away – which didn't work. Thus the separation.**_

 _ **What that does mean for you guys, though, is that the next chapter is coming within the next two days; no week-long wait for you this time! On the minus side, though, it'll be a bit shorter, but I assure you: a real dun-dun-dun moment, like a serious plot twist, happens in it. It evens out.**_

 _ **Also, I noticed during editing a couple of parallels between the whole fish thing and How to Train Your Dragon. Before anyone calls me out as a plagiarist, I can sincerely say I did not have that scene in mind while penning this (though I do like the movie).**_

 _ **Thanks again for reading/bearing with my crazy schedule. Love y'all, and don't forget to check out Alex's stuff if you get the chance. The guy could always do with more support.**_


	15. Chapter 15

_**Time for the promised plot twist at last. Here it comes. Prepare yourself.**_

 _ **But before that; once again I'm at a loss for words regarding just how many people are following/favouriting this story. I woke up yesterday morning to two whole pages' worth of Fanfiction email notifications and, no joke, I sat there, jaw dropped, for about 5 minutes, clicking each message individually and appreciating them all. It's totally humbling/amazing and I could not be more thankful for the myriad of support everyone has been giving me. To each and every one of you: cheers.**_

 _ **And now for our feature presentation: chapter 15. Enjoy the ride.**_

 _ **Don't ask me how, but I got my hands on some plastic explosives. I'll be out of here and onto those Zootopia rights before you know it.**_

* * *

 _Don't move._

 _Move once and you're dead._

Judy had awoken, but her eyes remained firmly shut.

A low and guttural growl, as well as the horrifying sensation of a slavering snout being pressed up against her, had pulled her abruptly from her sleep; and though she didn't dare to look, she knew he was beside her. That _it_ was beside her.

The rabbit couldn't fathom why Nick would suddenly develop an interest in her presence _now_ , after having slept through the entire night without so much as a glance her way, but she willed herself to remain as still as possible as the fox nudged at her limp form, snorting alarmingly.

Judy's breathing quickened, her chest rose and fell and her heart began pounding, but these were the only parts of her she allowed to move. She could feel the slightest breeze against her exposed fur as Nick sniffed, examining every inch of her. There seemed to be a definite note of purpose in his movements, as he inspected specific areas thoroughly before proceeding; if he had been sizing her up with the intent of tearing into her, he would have attacked by now. _No_.

He was looking for something.

The fox paid a few more seconds of attention to her upper body, and then moved downwards towards her legs. Judy's breath caught in her throat, and she found herself unable to suppress a whimper. If he so much as touched her wound, she knew there was no way in hell she would be able to keep quiet.

Nick recoiled at her slight noise, growling softly, but resumed his work soon after, undeterred. Every muscle in her body tensed up as he moved lower. Lower. Lower. His nose began to draw dangerously near to her injury, still uncovered since their chase through the city, and her eyes screwed themselves even more tightly closed. In her head, she cursed her abominable luck.

 _Great. We make progress, and one whiff of blood sends us back to square one._

But the fox had other ideas. Much to her surprise, he passed right over her cut, and, after a brief inspection of her ankles, began to move back up her body. After a while, he arrived at her right pocket, and that was where he stopped. Silence ruled for a while, but then his sniffs began to come in a far more fervent rhythm, and he began trying to insert his snout into the folds. It was clear he'd found his target.

Judy was dumbstruck. At first, she couldn't figure out what in God's name could be of so much value to an aggressive predator in her pocket, but then it hit her. Through the fog of her still half-asleep memory, she remembered what she had in there.

 _Oh, hell._

His fur.

The smell was confusing him.

His devolved mental state had become accustomed to her having a distinctly different smell, and expected that, at most, only a few lingering traces of his own scent would remain on her person following their contact. But the concentrated aroma of his fur in her pocket, in a far more potent capacity than would be usual, had thrown his instincts for a loop.

And, though it pained her, she knew there was only one way the monster would interpret the presence of a creature smelling almost identical to it: that its territory was being encroached on.

Territory it needed to reclaim.

Her suspicions were confirmed when, after a minute or so of it poking at her pocket, a much louder snarl echoed across the cavern, and, through the fabric of her clothes, she felt the first few drops of drool begin to tumble from its jaws.

As if the noise itself had sent the command, a single impulse shot from her brain to her body.

 _Move_.

Now being guided entirely by reflex, Judy snapped upright and opened her eyes at last. They soon widened as she saw just how close to her the beast really was; its haunches braced to pounce, and its mangy hackles raised. And yet she stared it down, unflinching.

Though every natural urge she possessed was screaming at her to run for her life, she couldn't help but notice how desensitized she had become to Nick's otherwise terrifying visage. Still not breaking eye contact, she began to back up, and began speaking out loud as she had done the previous night, as if to appeal to his voice for support.

"A little more self-control would be nice. I thought we got past this, Nick."

No response came. Her mind was blank. Her heart sank as she realised that, much like it had done during their fateful escape through the hospital vents, her subconscious was abjectly refusing to associate the mindless creature before her with her friend.

The monster, not to be outdone, kept pace with Judy as she slowly retreated out of her bed of mud and began to make her way across the cave floor. For the third time in under a week, her uninjured leg began to throb in a bizarre fashion. _Weird. I must have slept on it funny_.

She allowed her gaze to be torn from Nick for the briefest of moments, and she glanced left and right, plotting an escape. Much to her irritation, the cave was utterly devoid of anything that would be useful for any defensive manoeuvres, which meant she only had one option.

 _Run._

The sole route out of what was now effectively a prison was the minuscule 'entrance' which, she noticed, now had daylight streaming through it. _Well, at least that means I got a full nights' sleep_.

The monster appeared to be biding its time, and though the notion seemed ridiculous, Judy could have sworn it was enjoying itself as it advanced at a deliberate speed, placing one paw in front of the other at a disturbingly consistent tempo.

Without thinking, the rabbit locked her eyes on the exit and made a break for it, channelling all her energy into her lower body as she began to sprint to the best of her ability. The tiny hole seemed several metres, even miles away.

The beast, evidently catching onto her intentions, emitted an ear-splitting snarl and shot off in an orange blur, easily passing the almost-hobbling bunny, and positioned itself across the gap, its imposing form barring her only means of escape. With the sunlight blocked, Nick cast a fearsome silhouette onto the stunned Judy.

She was trapped.

The fox began to pace back and forth in front of the hole, as if taunting her, daring her to come any nearer.

She was convinced. It had had the perfect opportunity to kill her then and there, while her back was turned and her neck was exposed, but instead it chose to seal her in. It _was_ enjoying this.

Judy swallowed hard and started to back up again, in the opposite direction this time. She tried speaking to 'him' once more.

"Come _on_ , Nick. I _cooked_ for you last night. Doesn't that count for anything?"

Still no reply. It was just her and the monster.

The fox, seeing that she had begun to retreat into its den, commenced padding forward, forcing her backwards and penning her in further. It had her right where it wanted her. The claustrophobia and utter horror of the situation were crushing down on her like a hydraulic press, making her feel weak and helpless.

And then the throbbing worsened.

Judy, in a sudden fit of agony, collapsed to the floor, retching and hacking. The leg that had no injury was pulsating in wave after excruciating wave, and with every throb the tear-inducing sensation spread to a new part of her body. Her arms felt as though they were on fire, being forcibly pumped full of adrenaline. Her stomach churned and constricted, as if trying to force something out of her being.

She was on her hands and knees, teeth gritted and eyes shut. A shrill, high-pitched noise burst forth from the depths of her throat; a noise she never knew she had the capability of making. Through the rapidly-rising nausea, she looked up at Nick. Time seemed to have stopped still, and so too did he, watching the scene unfold with what could only be described as inquisitive curiosity.

Next came the red sparks. Fiery, wild and uncontrollable, they danced, sparked and arced behind her eyelids, crackling and causing her eyeballs to burn with a searing heat. A splitting headache formed, and she clasped her paws around her skull; by now she was on the floor, writhing and thrashing, moaning in pain.

A sickening combination of chills and electric energy shot down her spine, which too pulsed in time with her leg. Throughout the ordeal, her other leg – the one which she had expected to deliver the brunt of the agony – remained remarkably dead.

At last, her mind began to cloud over, just as it had done the previous two occasions in the hospital parking lot and the clearing, but she knew that this time there was no chance she could restrain it. It felt as though a million tiny hands were grasping, clawing at her consciousness, trying to pull it away, and down, down, down into the infinite, murky depths of darkness. _No. I can't pass out. I can't pass out. If I pass out, I die. No... I can't... can't..._

But her resolve was soon vanquished by the overpowering beckon of oblivion, and the last thing she felt was an inexorable, and unexplainable, feeling of aggression before her thoughts teetered off the edge of infinity and she was falling...

Falling...

Falling...

* * *

 _Carrots._

 _I'm sorry, Nick. I'm so sorry._

 _You're repeating yourself. We've been over this, remember?_

 _I tried. I really did._

 _No arguments here._

 _But I failed. I've failed you, Nick. And everyone else. But the part that hurts the most is I never got to say goodbye. The last thing you ever said to me was that you were sorry for everything, when it should have been me. Me. I should have been saying that. I was the one who got you wrapped up in this mess in the first place. But it was you that said it. And now I'll never get to tell you that, no, you don't need to take the blame for this one. There's a lot of things you've done that you should be sorry for, but what's happened here, this is my fault. I shouldn't have wasted my time getting us all the way out here. I just ran off and left Bellwether in charge of everything. I was too focused on you –_

 _Understandable._

 _\- because in the heat of the moment, I thought that was all that mattered. I forgot the bigger picture. Through trying to fix everything, I've just made it all worse. I don't think it's actually possible to screw up any more than that._

 _You bunnies. So emotional._

 _Now look who's repeating himself._

 _I'm in your head. I think I have an excuse. Listen to me, Carrots: pointing fingers, no matter who they're being pointed at, isn't going to help things. But at the same time, I can't let you go around blaming yourself for everything. 'S not good for your health. There are some good reasons I apologised. Sure, one of them was that I was probably about to go nuts and rip you a new one. But at the same time, it was my way of saying sorry for all the other things I did. For not listening to you at the museum, for getting in your way all those times, for being a jerk; but I guess the main thing was I was sorry for walking out on you. That was a time when you needed support more than ever, and I let my own insecurities and, y'know, traumatic childhood memories –_

 _I think I can give you a pass for that one._

 _\- build a wall between me and you. In those last 48 hours you'd done such a great job knocking it down, but as soon as my mind heard the words 'predator' and 'aggressive' in the same sentence it was like a little foreman in my head just threw it back up again. And that little guy was wrong to do that. Rest assured, he_ has _been fired. And even though I'm not gonna back down on saying you could have been a little more tactful during that press conference, I'm willing to confess I had a role to play in the whole thing. Just as long as you admit your mistakes. Which I'm pretty sure you do, if that little tete-a-tete under the bridge was anything to go by._

 _Y'know, for a figment of my imagination, you're pretty good with words._

 _What can I say? I learnt from the best._

 _D'you mean me or you?_

 _I'll let you puzzle that one out. You're smart._

 _That's me. The smart bunny that got herself killed._

 _Oh, and that's the other thing. You aren't dead._

 _...what?_

 _Do you think you'd still be able to hear me if you were?_

 _I'm not sure. Not really experienced on the whole 'death' thing._

 _See you on the other side, Judy. Word of advice: brace yourself._

* * *

Unlike a couple of nights ago, where she had awoken gradually, Judy's eyes snapped open, and in an instant all her senses rushed onto high alert.

The first thought that ran through her head: she was alive. She had no damn clue how, but _she was alive_. Alive to fight another day.

What struck her next was that she felt absolutely fine; fresh as a daisy. Obviously, it would have been a stretch to say she was feeling bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, but she had been expecting to feel a few internal lacerations, a severed limb, or some cuts at the very least. Indeed, even the horrible nausea and adrenaline she had experienced before blacking out had passed.

The only real sensation that stood out was an odd thickness around her paws – _oh God_.

She looked down.

The light-pink hue of her shirt was almost completely indistinguishable amid the sea of red and crimson stains that now coated her clothing. She was covered in blood.

The rabbit gasped in shock and leapt to her feet, examining the rest of her body. There didn't seem to be a single patch that hadn't been hit in some way; her legs, stomach, all of it was stained. Most of all, the liquid was concentrated around her front paws.

But it didn't make sense. As far as she could tell, she had no injuries. She refused to believe that the monster hadn't taken advantage of her laying there, limp and unconscious; and the copious amounts of blood certainly suggested it had. She wracked her brain. _Then why didn't she have any cuts or anything like that? She had been totally defenceless._

Her mouth fell open, and she whirled around upon hearing a familiar, shrill sound. Nick was whining again.

She scanned the cave for her friend, and she found him curled up beneath the rocky outcropping he had slept under. Forgetting almost entirely that he had only recently been trying to murder her, she drew nearer. He looked up at her, and her heart sank even further. Pain and fear was evident in his eyes, his feral predatory rage having vanished, and once she saw the rest of his body, it was easy to guess why.

Several deep cuts, oozing with fresh blood, were laced across his torso; one of his paws was bent at an awful angle; patches of fur were missing from his tail, looking as though they had been ripped clean off by a powerful force; and perhaps worst of all, a small chunk of flesh was missing from one of his ears.

Judy placed a hand over her mouth and leant against the 'wall' for support as she felt her eyes moisten in shock. All the blood on her shirt; it had come from _him_.

She sniffled, wiped her muzzle with the backside of one of her bloody paws, and turned her attention back to Nick. The bunny dared to come even closer, and, seeing the extent of his injuries, that was when it hit her.

She had been out cold the whole time. Why would he attack himself?

She squinted and peered down at a particularly nasty incision on one of his back haunches. Four distinct lines, parallel to each other, formed a smooth, deep cut into his skin; the flesh was raw and seeped blood.

Claw marks.

She leant back and pondered. Nothing made sense. There was no reason for him to have clawed himself. And yet he lay there with all the damages _she_ had expected to receive, seemingly self-inflicted. It didn't add up.

But when she shifted her gaze back to his eyes, and saw the terror flickering there again, another terrible thought forced its way into her mind; Nick wasn't just in pain. He was cowering. Shivering.

He was afraid of _her_.

The by-now familiar feeling of dread washed over her again as, as if being controlled by a spiritual force, Judy rose and headed to the spot on the cave wall where Nick had etched claw marks into the stone. And then, though she had done nothing mentally to summon it, his voice rang in her head.

 _You're getting warmer, Officer._

She knew what she was going to see, but she stared at his markings for a while all the same, just to be sure: three clear white lines, engraved into the rock face. Preserved for posterity. And there was the inconsistency, looking her right in the face.

Three lines.

She looked back at Nick, who was presently squirming in an attempt to reach the wound in question with his tongue.

Four lines.

He hadn't clawed himself.

Judy's mouth, in which she now detected an odd metallic taste, dried and bile rose in her throat. Her heartrate doubled as she pressed her own blood-soaked paw to the wall and scratched it, comparing her smaller claws alongside his markings. The spacing, sizes and positions were completely different.

Her mind was a blur now, and, though she didn't really need any more evidence as to what had occurred, her scepticism demanded she test it anyway. She crossed back over to Nick and, confident he wouldn't lash out, placed one paw next to the wound. He flinched, but made no other movement, whimpering softly.

This time the similarity was obvious. A perfect match.

She _had_ defended herself.

 _Bingo, Carrots._

* * *

 _ **OK, I know you're all thinking it, so I'll do it for you: DUN DUN DUUUUN!**_

 _ **Judy attacked Nick! Where do we go from here? How does this tie into the uninjured leg? How will the plot progress? Do I know how the story will end and am just being a sadistic bastard by withholding the answers from you? Yes, yes I do/am.**_

 _ **Not much else to say, other than: WOOO! Zootopia crossed a billion dollars at the box office today! So richly deserved, and well done to everyone who went and saw it multiple times – myself included – to push it over the finish line. You all played a part.**_

 _ **Thanks again for reading. Not sure when the next chapter will be going up, because I've a fairly busy week coming up, but I hope you enjoyed/didn't get too irritated by this plot twist in the meantime. Also, this ended up being the longest chapter yet word-count wise. So that's something. For the longest time I ummed and aahed over keeping the middle bit between Judy and Figment!Nick in, because I wasn't sure if it worked, but I left it because I just wanted to write more Nick. Heh. Let me know what you think!**_

 _ **Reviews are, as always, appreciated. Ciao!**_


	16. Chapter 16

_**Guess what's back? Go on. Take a guess. A wild stab in the dark. I'll give you a couple of clues. One: you've probably been really anxious to see more of it. Two: you're looking right at it. Like, this very second.**_

 _ **I'm really sorry that it's now been over two weeks, I believe, since the last update. I'd go into unnecessary detail about how things have been screwing me over lately, but that'd be same-old same-old, so just know that never for a moment have I forgotten about this story and I plan to continue updating as frequently as possible. I love writing, but sadly it isn't a major priority at present.**_

 _ **On a lighter note, the audiobook is progressing nicely. I've already had some submissions for the cover art, which I'm taking a look through, but please do keep them coming! They'll all find a home.**_

 _ **Thanks for sticking with me, and hope you enjoy. It's another Bellwether chapter. Woot!**_

 _ **Alright, so I've managed to dig a kind of hole in the back of my cell. Plastic explosives turned out to be duds. The opening is about half a metre across, so if I'm wanting those Zootopia rights I'll be needing to cut out the carbs.**_

* * *

It had been two days since her pivotal press conference, but for all Bellwether knew, no time had passed. For all intents and purposes, she'd hardly set foot – or rather, hoof – outside her office, which now of course lacked a window, meaning she'd been quite literally left in the dark about what time of day it was. Not that it mattered. For her, the minutes had soon begun turning into hours, all bleeding together in an ill-defined mess.

The ewe had been working tirelessly throughout those precious 48 hours. The majority of her time had been devoted to laying down the preliminary preparations and signing off the final paperwork regarding her controversial announcement, which was soon due to be enacted.

Though she hadn't ventured beyond City Hall long enough to accurately gauge the public response, she had been reliably informed by her subordinates that the implications had sparked an aggressive row among the predator community, who were already being ostracised following the savage attacks. As she'd suspected. It was altogether in her best interests, then, that the most critical stages of her operation should take place behind closed doors, lest she get shot, or burned, or worse.

And then there was the matter of Bogo. Had she been in her henchmen's place, she would have simply covertly escorted the buffalo from the lobby by force as opposed to tranquillising him in front of the media, but she was prepared to accept that given the circumstances, rational thinking hadn't exactly been on the cards.

It had required some on-the-spot thinking on her part to shift the blame without causing too much of a stir, and she had been able to mitigate her own culpability somewhat, but, as was perhaps inevitable, the incident had made the headlines the following day, right alongside her announcement. Still, she had always been of the firm belief that all publicity was good publicity, and it wasn't likely that the populace, especially the prey, would be in any state to question her actions by this point. All they had heard in her speech was 'solution', and that was good enough for them.

The third and final item on her agenda was that of Judy Hopps. That damned rabbit could easily have gotten a couple of hundred miles away in a vehicle like the police cruiser, and Bellwether had received no evidence to the contrary since her escape from the hospital, nor had she been given any reason to believe she wouldn't try and expose the truth to the masses. Indeed, she _had_ tried to that fateful evening in the holding cells, and so, compounded by the fact the ewe had no clue which direction she had gone in or how she had evaded detection, the upshot of it all was that Hopps was still out there, roaming free God-knows-where, and armed. Armed, perhaps not physically, but verbally. She was springloaded with dangerous information and was liable to let fly at any given moment.

 _Best case scenario: the fox eats her._

Presently, Bellwether sat at her desk, her head rested on one hoof while the other idly clicked the computer mouse, selecting one button on the screen over and over: the replay button. Once again, she'd become absorbed in the accursed traffic camera clip of the police cruiser disappearing into the night. Her eyes, half-lidded and puffy, had glazed over, and one could hardly say she was paying full attention to the footage anymore, but this had developed into something of a ritual.

Numerous times she had attempted to push the video to the back of her mind, reasoning that it wasn't a top priority, but it continued to nag at her, taunting her from its minimised icon on the taskbar, even when she tried to focus on other tasks. And, like clockwork, in every instance she had eventually succumbed and settled into another 30 minutes' worth of scrutinising the same few seconds repeatedly, as if in the vain hope one tiny sliver of information, one stray pixel or two, might reveal something new. Something useful. But it never did.

Bellwether was about 10 minutes into this latest examination when a shrill sound suddenly pierced through the office's stale air, causing her to lurch back, not due to fright, but due to surprise: the noise was a familiar one, but not one she had been expecting to hear.

Bleary-eyed, she removed her glasses and cleaned them off before swivelling in her chair to inspect the two telephones on her desk. One, a sleek black number, was a carryover from Lionheart's term which she took great pleasure in using for the majority of her calls – she viewed it as satisfying justice in recompense for all his abuse – but sat beside it was a smaller, decidedly more battered and greying phone hailing from her old boiler-room abode. This one had begun to accumulate dust, but this belied its importance to her plans; the phone, so as to minimise the chances of call tracing, was reserved for her contact with a specific individual. An integral individual. Who, apparently, was now calling her.

Bellwether returned her glasses to their usual spot atop her nose and made to pick up the insistently ringing phone, but hesitated. She considered for a moment, and then hopped down off her chair, tottered over to the door, pulled a key from her dress pocket and locked it. She wasn't prepared to take any chances; she needed total privacy.

The ewe walked back over, clambered into her chair with a little difficulty, and turned once more to the phone, which continued to beep. With a final clear of her throat, she lifted the receiver, held it to her ear, and spoke first.

"Doug."

"Surprised to hear from me?"

"If I'm being honest, yes. I kind of wondered where you'd fetched up. I assumed that since you didn't show up to the museum to help, Hopps had something to do with it."

"Far as you know, I could have been slacking off."

She paused. "Please tell me you didn't just decide to call it quits."

A tinny chuckle from his end. "Heh, no. I'm kidding. No, you were right on the money, boss. The bunny and her little sidekick got the drop on us. Slipped in through a back window and booted me out when the guys showed up with my coffee. I'm still hurting from that, actually. Chick had some damn powerful legs."

Bellwether sniffed. "Mm-hmm. So you got blindsided by Hopps and her fox accomplice. Is that all?"

He paused. "I got my latte in the end."

A curt sneer. "Glad things worked out. Any idea how they found you?"

"Beats me. I mean, I guess the weasel might have had something to do with it."

She had no recollection of anything like that. "...I'm sorry?"

"Oh, that's right." An audible swallow. "Talking 'bout a petty crook called Duke Weaselton. Brought him on board to help steal the flowers. Scrawny little thing. Really needed the cash too."

"Hold on. You're telling me you enlisted criminals to assist in securing Night Howlers?"

"That'd be just one criminal, actually. Singular. Just the one."

Bellwether huffed. "That'll be the one Hopps caught. She followed the trail right to you."

"Now that you mention it, Weaselton did strike me as the type to cave under pressure."

"It's no wonder you were turfed out. If you're gonna send in someone as blatantly shady as a weasel to try and make off with a controlled Class C botanical, you might as well go all the way and wander in there carrying a huge neon sign reading 'I'm a thief, you might want to nail down your drugs'."

Another gulp. "To be fair, this whole thing hasn't exactly been a shining beacon of legitimacy, boss. I mean, darting people to turn them into murderous beasts... that's kind of a grey area."

Even though she knew perfectly well he couldn't see, she waved a hoof dismissively. "Nothing's ever black and white, Doug. You don't make it all the way to the top by religiously walking the straight and narrow."

"I'm not gonna argue."

"Alright." She pushed her glasses up her nose a little more. "So where are you now?"

"Right now? I'm in a phone box. You know, those little glass things that nobody's used in years?"

Her brow furrowed. "I'm aware of what a phone box is, thank you."

"OK. So it turns out they still exist, and there's one in a back alley behind this big fish restaurant in Tundratown. That's where I am. This conversation is costing me a couple of nickels, actually."

"I'm sure you'll manage, given how much you and your friends are getting from me. What happened to _them_?"

"Woolter and Jesse?"

"That's them."

"Search me. They ran off down the tunnel after the train and I didn't see 'em again after that. My guess is they either got mowed down by a speeding carriage or they really _did_ throw in the towel. Can't blame them, to be honest."

Bellwether caught herself. "OK, look. We're getting off-topic." She rubbed her temples. "I just... things haven't been going so smooth. I've had to speed everything up. The predator roundup is due to commence tomorrow - God knows how _that_ 's going to go - and on top of that, a couple of my undercover assistants thought it wise to dart Chief Bogo during my speech."

"Ouch. Yeah, I saw that in the papers. I've heard stories about him. Seems he was savage enough to begin with."

"Oh, no. Not with the serum. They just knocked him out. He's in one of the ZPD's cells under the pretence of being a sympathiser with the predators." She rolled her eyes. "Would have been preferable if they _had_ got him with some Night Howler, though. Could have taken out all those members of the press in short order."

"A little morbid."

"I've come this far. I've literally nothing to lose at this stage... aside from everything." Bellwether sighed. "Also, it's interesting you bring up the serum. The savage cases have been drying up. All I've got to rely on is a few reserve stocks, and I'm guessing you aren't set up in any capacity to make any more."

"That's a negative. I'm not just gonna be able to waltz into the nearest corner store and buy sophisticated distillation equipment, never mind the flowers themselves."

"Figures. And hence why I've had to accelerate things."

"When life gives you lemons, I guess."

"True." Bellwether turned back round and, with the volume muted, resumed watching the clip on her monitor as she spoke. "Anyway, fill in the timeline for me: Hopps took off in the train, your accomplices followed – what about you?"

"Me? There was no way in hell I was heading in the same direction as an out-of-control train of doom, so I just went the opposite way down the tunnel."

Bellwether froze. Part of her wanted to speak, to get him to repeat what he'd said, but she held her tongue. _This could be it_.

"I figured it had to end eventually, right? Tunnel wasn't going to go on forever. Kept walking for a while, and boom, daylight. I popped out near the Savannah Central terminal. It was an easy walk home from there."

A glimmer of hope. However, not wanting to count her chickens, Bellwether kept her response level. "So, in essence, that tunnel covers a section of track leading from the central station to...?"

"That's easy. The route goes to the natural history museum."

"Naturally. I _know_ that. I showed up to _stop_ them in said museum. I meant the street it runs parallel to."

His response seemed to break all the tension that had built up in the room. "Oh. Elm Street."

And that was it. How could she have been so foolish? She'd considered every angle of that clip, every possible route out of Zootopia – bar one. In her defence, it was something most people would likely have overlooked, but as she visualised Hopps' escape in her head – how she'd escaped GPS tracking, how she'd vanished off the streets – all the pieces fell into place.

 _She hadn't_ taken _the streets._

"Doug."

"Yeah?"

"I'm not quite sure how to phrase this in eloquent enough terms, but: thank you. You may well have just given me a crucial piece of information. Something that's going to turn the tides in our favour."

"I won't lie: I'm not sure what I said, but glad to help the war effort."

"Excellent. Well," she grasped a felt tip pen off the desk in a new-found fervour, "it was nice catching up. It's good to know you can still reach me. Keep me posted; if you're at any point able to find a means of creating more serum, I want to be the first one to hear about it." She pondered. "The only one, actually."

"Will do. Ciao."

"Goodbye." She listened for the click of confirmation that he had hung up, and when it came, she dropped the receiver back down. It clattered back into place.

Bellwether hopped down off her chair for the second time in the past hour and crossed to the aging map of Zootopia on one of the office walls, scrambling up onto a nearby stool for some much-needed extra height.

The intricate spider-web of lines, routes and roads had perplexed her for days, but now there was only one she was interested in.

So as to ensure her search would be as efficient as possible, she removed her glasses, breathed on the lenses, cleaned them off again and put them back on. The map appeared before her in sudden clarity, and her pupils darted across the paper. She squinted for a while, and then she found it: Elm Street.

The map was designed in such a way that the routes were colour-coded: streets were printed in black, whereas public transport routes were a pale green. Sure enough, running alongside the Elm St. black line was a green one denoting the railway line passing beneath. Breathing more heavily now, Bellwether uncapped the felt tip pen in her hoof and began tracing the line westwards, away from the natural history museum and the ZPD, towards the Savannah Central station, as Doug had asserted.

Taking great care to keep her drawing in sync with the line, she traced the route through the Rainforest District. Back through Tundratown. Onwards past Sahara Square. And finally, across the vast waters and into the dense woodland.

Bellwether's eyes widened and she smirked, chuckling to herself. She'd reached the edge of the map, but she had all she needed.

 _There's no way she got any further than that. The trains running there are too fast._

The ewe's eyes narrowed again, and the smirk developed into a sardonic, gleeful, but noticeably devious grin.

"Well, Judy. I'll give you this much. _You_ are a clever bunny."

With a flourish, she began to draw something else on the map.

"A clever, clever..."

A large cross, embedded within a circle, now occupied the spot on the chart depicting the woodland.

"... _clever bunny_."

* * *

 _ **So that was chapter 16, also known as The Chapter Where I Do a Tremendous Disservice to Bellwether's Character.**_

 _ **But seriously, when I was writing this one, I knew I needed to establish what was up with Doug, but also, since this is someone who's in on Bellwether's plot, that I needed to alter her dialogue a little. I hope I struck that balance between sweet, evil, sarcastic, authoritative and meek well enough. Doug is easy enough to write for. He's the typical everyman who's in over his head.**_

 _ **Thanks for reading, and I hope the wait for the next chapter, especially given that cliffhanger, isn't too excruciating! Hang in there! Reviews are, as ever, appreciated.**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**Greetings, readers, astronauts, demi-gods and hibachi dealers alike. A very hearty, warm welcome from me to ye to chapter 17 of The Food Chain!**_

 _ **Apologies for the wait, again, but to quote the great Shigeru Miyamoto: "A rushed [fanfic] is forever bad, but a delayed [fanfic] is eventually good." I... may have doctored that a little, but you get the idea.**_

 _ **Anyway, I was sifting through the reviews for the last chapter – I read each and every one of 'em, love you guys – and saw that the almost unanimous response was that you wanted to see more Judy and Nick. Now, initially, this was supposed to be another Bellwether chapter, with us rejoining our heroes in number 18, but since I'm not**_ **that** _ **cruel I figured it didn't really make any difference to the plot to swap them. So I swapped them. Enjoy.**_

 _ **After a strict exercise regime, I'm into the passage. I feel like a sausage roll. But fear not! The light at the end of the tunnel beckons, and... oh. Where**_ **is** _ **the end of the tunnel? Uh-oh.**_

* * *

Though the average bystander would have simply seen her kneeling by Nick in the cave and thought nothing of it, inside, Judy's head was a maelstrom of thoughts and emotions. The entire world seemed to shrink and constrict itself around her, suffocating in its closeness, as her breath hitched.

Her senses began to dull – her hearing became fuzzy, leaving only a dull ringing noise in place of the usual cacophony of the forest; she became increasingly unaware of the pervasive metallic taste of blood in her mouth. And yet, despite this, her eyesight seemed to sharpen, focusing in on the horrifying vision of her paw, pressed up against her friend's damaged coat. She almost felt as though she was developing tunnel vision; her surroundings bled together in a polychromatic soup, but the evidence before her, which pointed to only one logical outcome, was displayed in total clarity.

Four distinct, fairly deep incisions into his torso; in contrast to the three etched onto the cave wall. But in direct accordance with the alignment of _her_ claws, which bore the darkest tinge of scarlet out of her whole body. His blood.

She didn't want to accept it, and frankly was already concocting ludicrous alternative explanations as to what might have occurred – perhaps, in his Night Howler-fuelled craze, he had just so happened to cut himself on her small, hardly noticeable bunny claws? – but her rational side was insistent, propelling the truth forward beyond any doubt.

She had attacked Nick.

Judy felt her eyes becoming moist as she mulled this over. She would never, ever do something like this willingly. Hell, if there was one person in the entire damn world she'd never intentionally lay a finger on (her kick back at the museum didn't count; that had been her foot) it was Nick Wilde. But here he lay, wounded and cowering, and, assuming another savage predator hadn't just been wandering by and decided to attack him – although, she reasoned, she wouldn't put it past Bellwether to have dumped some failed subjects of the serum in the wild – she was the only one who could be responsible.

She placed one matted paw to her head and ran it backwards down her ears, massaging her skull as she digested this. The situation was bizarre; everything that went down during their encounter signified she had been totally down for the count: unconscious, limp and hacking her guts out. And yet the injuries Nick bore were not only assuredly her work, but also appeared to have been inflicted with considerable force; as though she had really been digging her claws in. It didn't add up.

Then again, at the same time, she'd fainted before – mostly during her training at the ZPD Academy when the stress piled too high – and this had been nothing like any of those other times. Sure, there was the usual requisite lightheadedness, but the insane adrenaline surge she had felt, on top of the odd sensation of slipping away from herself, was all foreign to her.

Judy kneaded her temples. It was clear that _something_ out of the ordinary had happened in the gap between her passing out and coming to, bloodsoaked, and so her next step needed to be figuring out and filling in those blanks before _whatever_ it was occurred again – _if_ it occurred again, which she prayed it wouldn't – and got one or both of them killed. The bunny emitted a small groan as she continued to rub her aching head. _Pull it together, Judy. One of us has already lost their mind. Not an ideal way to go._

As was now usual, she wasn't permitted more than a minute or so of self-reflection before her rumination was interrupted, this time by a sharp yelp echoing from across the cave. Much to her surprise, she realised she'd subconsciously begun to pace and was now stood about two metres across from Nick, such was her depth in thought. She shook her head to dispel the clouds of grogginess that seemed to hang about her person and crossed to the fox, discovering the source of his discomfort immediately; he'd managed to locate one of the few wounds that was still fully open and oozing blood, and, in his infinite wisdom, was presently licking away at it.

Judy winced; the salt and sediment likely in his saliva would be doing him no favours. She found herself under a wave of déjà vu, reminded very strongly of their meeting down by the stream. A small twinge of guilt - a pang, even - began to flare up at the fact that his pain was her doing, but she forced it down.

Part of her wanted to reach out and tend to the cut, but the lack of clean water, on top of the wary growl that met her as she approached, convinced her otherwise. If he had it under control, she wasn't going to intervene. Good. She needed some time to think.

 _Sometimes a little personal space is appreciated, Carrots._

She chuckled gingerly, casting her memory back to their chase through the Rainforest District. "Tch. Look how well that turned out with Manchas."

 _Yep, and I don't see you carrying a pair of convenient handcuffs to strap the violent predator to a pole this time around, so maybe it's best you sit this one out._

A light sniff. "Mm-hmm. Of course, that assumes there's a pole here to begin with," she gestured idly around the barren cave, "but you're right, I'm not..."

She glanced down at her waistline to make a similar point, but was struck dumb once more by the sight of her shirt and pants, utterly drenched in patches of deep red. _Oh, God_.

The extent of the damage once again made itself plain. What had she been _doing_?

All of a sudden, Judy became hyper-aware of the nauseating sensation of the dried blood, which had by now soaked through the fabric of her clothes, rubbing up against her fur with every move she made. It became rapidly apparent that she had to do something about this; not only would it serve as a constant reminder of her assault, but it chafed, itched like hell and was going to present a severe distraction.

 _I guess that's the main problem with being a fugitive on the run; never the most extensive wardrobe to pick from._

"Yep. Well, among other things."

Confident that Nick wasn't going anywhere for the time being, Judy fixed him with one last gaze – which he returned with an expression one could really only interpret as unbridled apathy – and stepped out of the cave into the early morning sun.

The new dawn had brought with it a crisp freshness to the air, which Judy inhaled gratefully, refining and refreshing her senses a little. The forest floor was pleasantly springy and slick with dew underfoot, which provided a welcome change from the constant snapping and cracking the rabbit had acclimated to. Birds had resumed their singing in the canopy overhead, and smaller creatures could be heard scuttling about their daily business. Indeed, if the same aforementioned bystander were to look at this scene, it would be deemed one of total peace and tranquillity, despite the reality being anything but.

Still, Judy couldn't help but feel thankful for the slight variation in scenery as she began to stroll off in a familiar direction to her destination _. It's the little things_.

The bunny trudged onwards, now practically on autopilot as she took in the surroundings, admiring the natural intricacies and nuances provided by the natural world; complexities that the bustling metropolis of Zootopia sorely lacked, despite its best efforts to artificially replicate them in its architecture and municipal recreational facilities.

After a time, Judy pushed aside a section of thicket, and it stretched before her just as it had done twice before; the stream. If she was being perfectly honest with herself, she had little faith in the ability of cold freshwater to remove bloodstains, but if several hectic mealtimes back in Bunnyburrow – where she was often left with whatever her siblings didn't touch – had taught her anything, it was to take whatever she could get.

She padded over to the bank and stared down into the flowing brook for a while. As before, she saw her own face staring right back. She pulled down the skin under one puffy, sleep-deprived eye, finding it to be bloodshot and the flesh red and tender. Judy sighed. If last time she was at her worst, then this was after she'd bottomed out and fallen off the end of the graph.

Something about the twisting motion of the current was hypnotic, lulling her into a trance of sorts, and she could quite happily have sat there for an hour or so. Several fish of the sort she had fed to Nick, blissfully unaware that one of their brethren had recently met a grim end, darted to and fro, swimming both with and against the current. Such energy, such... such _life_ they seemed to have, she thought, but stopped herself before her mind decided to turn itself back to her killing the fish. She had more than enough to worry about without _that_ little ditty being dragged up.

Even though she was perfectly aware there was no-one else around for miles (or rather, she _hoped_ so) she cocked her ears and looked around her, scanning the woods for any movement before proceeding. Trying to ignore the inevitable build-up of embarrassment, she first peeled off her shirt, sucking in air through her front teeth in pain as small strands of fur were yanked harshly away by the garment, having become glued to it by blood.

She unbuttoned the front and removed the sleeves last, rolling them down each arm with a degree of care, and once the shirt was totally detached from her, she shook it vigorously to loosen any stray hairs, then simply allowed it to fall to the floor in a crumpled heap, neat folding be damned.

She turned around and removed her pants next, which proved to be an easier task as they hadn't received as much of a coating of haemoglobin as her shirt had. There was still some resistance, and her injured leg gave a small stab of pain for luck as the coarse fabric rubbed against it, but soon they too were extracted from her body and placed onto the ground.

The bunny chanced a look downwards, and though she initially felt relief at the realisation not too much blood had stuck to her fur, her cheeks soon became hot; save for her underwear, she was almost totally exposed. Not that there was anyone around to see her, but it still felt a little awkward.

 _No-one except me._

"Don't you dare."

 _It's nothing I haven't seen before, Carrots._

She chose to ignore this deliberately ambiguous response and willed her inner voice to shut up, kneeling back down by the water. She grabbed a fistful of her shirt, and without a second thought, dunked it into the stream. The fish, no doubt stunned by the sudden invasion of a huge monolithic piece of fabric, scattered away. The clothing took on water in copious amounts, making it heavier, but Judy balled her other paw up into a fist and began to scrub at it.

She was sure the months of training her polar bear instructor had spent beefing up her arms were now being used for something wildly different than the intention, but she wasn't complaining.

It was tiring work, and her forearm soon began to ache, but the fruits of her efforts did not go unrewarded; slowly but surely, the dried blood began to dissolve and float away into the current. Judy kept this up for around five minutes, and then removed her shirt to admire her handiwork. It wasn't quite as clean as she'd hoped, but the crimson was, for the most part, faded, and several of the smaller patches had been vanquished in their entirety. It was, in a word, acceptable.

After cleaning off her pants in a similar vein to the best of her ability, Judy was left with two soggy garments and little else to show for her trouble. She sat back onto the grass, wiping her brow with one paw, and caught her breath. She arranged the shirt and pants into a spot where a particularly bright ray of sunlight pierced the canopy, hoping to accelerate the drying process, and it was then that she was struck with an idea.

She looked down at her body one more time, and, in comparison to the now-cleaner clothes, her fur didn't seem so pleasant anymore. Despite its short length, large clumps were sticking together, and one section on her left side was essentially a solid dreadlock. She pondered for a moment, then looked from the stream – which, she noted, now looked curiously inviting – to her clothes airing in the sun. _I can't believe I'm considering doing this._

However, after a brief falter, she decided she had enough time and, throwing caution to the wind, stepped out of her underwear, which she placed alongside her other clothes to warm up a bit. And there she was, as nude as the day she was born. Well, she and 6-12 others. She had never been sure of the number, but she'd learned that was the average. _Boy, had_ that _been an interesting day at school_.

Judy stood stock still, getting used to the sensation. Although she felt rather cold all of a sudden, and wrapped her arms around herself, shivering slightly, she had to admit it felt oddly liberating.

Two thoughts crossed her mind in that moment. One: if Yax were present, an 'I told you so' would soon be arriving in her general direction, and two: she was now completely exposed. Defenceless, bare, naked. As nature had intended her to be. Not counting her sentience, there was now little difference between her as she now stood and her unevolved ancestors. In a way, she figured, she'd brought herself a little closer to Nick's situation; the Night Howlers had brought him back to his predatory roots, and she was back to hers: meek, vulnerable and, to be frank, a little nervous.

Not wanting to prolong the uncomfortableness any more than was necessary, she crossed back to the bank and dipped one long toe into the water. It was, surprisingly, lukewarm – not as icy cold as she'd expected, but still not as warm as she'd have preferred (nor as warm as she'd have had the water back in her apartment building's bath, on the few fortunate occasions she got the chance to use it). The rest of her foot soon followed, then her legs and, once all was said and done, the depth came up to halfway between her ankles and her knees.

Thinking it best to get it over with, Judy allowed herself to flop backwards into the water and gasped in shock as the cool liquid splashed over her entire body. Her heart pumped faster in an effort to warm her, and within seconds, her skin had reached a comfortable temperature. She sat up in the current, which tugged lightly at her midriff – but not quite enough to pull her away – and began scrubbing away at her body.

She applied no greater delicacy to herself than she had her clothes, deciding there was no time for relaxation or indulgence, rubbing roughly at the patches of blood and dispelling them one by one. Some strands of fur came loose, floating off down the stream, but Judy paid this no mind, continuing her work.

However, by the time she had finished her arms and came to her torso, it clicked that there was a greater poetic symbolism to what she was doing. Each red spot, which just flowed away without fuss, represented an injury she had dealt to her best friend. And yet here she sat, apathetically removing them as though they were mere splotches of dirt. She refused to give into sentimentality, but couldn't suppress the mist that gathered in her eyes as she watched each stain disappear.

 _That one might have been from when I clawed his back._

 _That one could have come from his haunches._

 _His stomach._

 _His front legs._

 _His back legs._

 _His face._

 _Oh, Nick. God, I'm so sorry._

She unballed the fist she was using and looked down at her claws. So tiny, so seemingly innocuous. And yet those damn things had proven they were capable of doing damage.

Both physical and emotional.

There were definite tears rolling down her cheeks now, and matters were not helped when she came to her legs. Again, so innocent-looking. But each had a story to tell.

Her left, still bearing the scar from the museum's mammoth tusk. Arguably the catalyst that set this whole horrible thing in motion. There was a bitter, almost humorous irony to it all. If she had just been looking where she was going at that critical moment, they'd have made it to freedom. Nick would still be with her – well, as himself, anyway - and Bellwether would be behind bars.

The other... well, she wasn't entirely sure what to make of the other. It had been acting up bizarrely since that night in the museum, throbbing and bringing on a multitude of terrifying experiences, but there didn't seem to be a thing wrong with it. It had seemed to be the focal point of the painful prelude to her attack on Nick, as well as all her other adrenaline rushes, so that at least gave her _something_ to blame it for.

She looked back down into the glassy surface as she sponged her legs, taking care around her wound. A couple of tears splashed down into the brook, but she stifled the rest. _Dammit, she was stronger than this._

At last, her bathing was complete. Judy stood up in the stream and surveyed her body, craning her neck to check behind every curve, behind every tuft of fur. It wasn't great, but she hadn't been expecting greatness. She'd managed to clean most of it off. _And almost have a breakdown into the bargain_.

Sombrely, she clambered out of the water, skidding a little on the bank, and shook herself dry, finding that instinct took over for this part. She stretched, scratched the back of her neck, and bent to collect her clothes, which she found had dried a bit in the blazing sun. Feeling a little more confident with herself, she opted not to put them back on, and so she shook them again and tossed them over her shoulder, before heading back in the direction of the cave.

 _I'm gonna make this right, Nick._

 _Well, I'm not a betting fox, but I'd say the odds are in your favour, Carrots._

* * *

 _ **Hellooo, character building! Another Judy-centric chapter, I know, but given how shocking the revelation last chapter was I figured we needed one to allow her to come to terms with it and sort through her emotions before we progress to the next section of the story which, I assure you, will pick up after part 18 – the promised Bellwether chapter. Here's hoping you can hold out that long! I believe in you!**_

 _ **Reviews are – you'll never guess – appreciated! Always warms the cockles of this jaded old heart to see 'em. Looking forward to the next one already!**_


	18. Chapter 18

_**Toot-toot! The fanfic train's rolling into the station. Not exactly on time, but much like the public transport here in good ol' Blighty, few things are. Except solar eclipses. And geysers. They're usually on time.**_

 _ **As promised, here's another Bellwether chapter. This one would've been chapter 17 had the demand for more Judy and Nick not been so high, so it's being slotted in here. Not much else to say, other than thanks again for sticking through the wait, and hope you enjoy!**_

 _ **I think I can see light. Either I'm dying of suffocation or I'm almost to freedom. Fingers crossed. Oh, and I still don't own Zootopia. Soon, my children. Soon.**_

* * *

In the mayor's office of City Hall, the wall-map of Zootopia had become Bellwether's canvas.

For a good 30 minutes, the ewe, still riding a wave of adulant elation at having deduced Hopps' escape route, had been drawing on the large chart in felt-tip pen, making graceful – and, in some places, distinctly _un_ graceful – loops and swirls, plotting lines and marking out the lay of the land. Occasionally she halted her dramatic swooping motions long enough to take the time to write in a few notes, and she chewed her tongue and tried to keep her balance on the wobbling stool she stood on as she did so. Had anyone walked in and seen her – not that there was a remote chance of this, since she'd locked the door – they'd probably have assumed she'd gone certifiably insane, but there was method to her madness. The bizarre collection of doodles and text was not a collage.

It was an attack plan.

Bellwether squinted as she pressed her face closer to the map in order to begin piecing all her seemingly random drawings together into one coherent whole. The stool teetered precariously, but she paid this no mind as she continued her work. With a precision only her rabid determination could afford her, she triangulated the distance from the Savannah Central terminal to the cutoff point at the edge of the map, and, taking into account the scale of the map as well as the speed of the trains (which, of course, she had to take an estimate at) was able to calculate roughly where her adversary would have either A, met a – hopefully gruesome – end, or B, disembarked from the tracks. This turned out to be a little ways into the mainland: across the large body of water surrounding Zootopia, but not quite beyond the dense forested area. This was more than enough to work with.

Bellwether took great satisfaction in marking this point with a cross, and then leant back on the stool, adjusting her glasses a little. The situation was now clear. Hopps couldn't be found anywhere in the city, because she wasn't _in_ the city; she was, at present, one of two things: an indistinct bloody splatter on the railroad, or hiding out in the woods. She was one hundred-percent certain which outcome she'd have _preferred_ , but her intuition and past experiences told her which was the most _likely_.

If she knew Judy, there was no way on Earth she'd have let herself be wiped out by something as rote as a train. _Not quite... dramatic enough for her, I'd imagine._

Bellwether's expression darkened momentarily as once again the recollection of how this one damned rabbit had managed to toss such a sizeable wrench into her works flashed before her eyes, but her face cheered somewhat when she mentally reasoned that Hopps would, at least, be alone and lost out in the wilderness. Plus the fact she'd be accompanied by a savage predator bent on eating her – assuming it hadn't been killed since Bellwether last saw it. And that the ewe knew for a fact Hopps was injured. Yes; yes, all was not quite lost.

However, the fact remained that she was in possession of dangerous information, and even though she was pretty much immobile, she was almost certainly on the mend. As soon as she was able, she'd be coming back to the city to expose the truth; of this much, Bellwether was positive.

The whole thing was like a countdown, a race to see who would get to the other first. And, in that moment, the ewe decided that with a careful methodology, a level mindset and a degree of ingenuity, it was going to be _her_ first across that all-important line.

Her prospects now looking not quite as bleak, Bellwether pocketed the felt tip and took one last look at the map, which was now utterly covered in scrawls. She had the first key piece of data: Hopps' location. Now she simply needed to exploit it.

She hopped down off the stool which creaked, thankful to be relieved of her weight, and she ambled over to her desk. Scrambling up into her chair – she seemed to be doing that a _lot_ lately – she settled herself and turned to switch on her computer monitor. Within seconds, it blared into life and her desktop, meticulously organised folder by folder, appeared before her. With one clear goal in mind, she reached for the mouse and hovered the cursor over one specific file entitled "CENSUS DATABASE" but stopped short of clicking it. Something else – something familiar - nagged at her.

She pondered for a moment, and then, her mind made up, she moved the arrow down to her taskbar where one accursed file still laid: the video clip of the cruiser that had tormented her for days. Bellwether breathed an audible sigh of relief as she right-clicked the file and, with great relish, deleted it, vanquishing her one piece of solid evidence. Not that she needed it anymore.

 _Good riddance._

Feeling a slight weight lift off her shoulders, she re-highlighted the census folder and clicked. In an instant, pages upon pages and lines upon lines of text appeared, each denoting a Zootopian citizen, their age, their occupation, their residence, their district and, most importantly, their class: predator or prey. In between worrying about Hopps, she had, over the past 48 hours, been using this database to compile a list of individuals for the ZPD to work with in detaining predators during the impending 'cull'. In essence, she had access to the credentials of everyone in the city right at her fingertips (well, hooftips); but at present, there was only one she was interested in. Well, maybe two, or even three, if she played her cards right.

She closed all the excess windows and, with a few more options toggled, she was able to organise all the citizens by district – alphabetically, of course. Bellwether was a stickler for alphabetisation. The ewe scrolled down until she found the 'Tundratown' section and clicked. She was immediately met with a progress bar. The damn thing was loading. _Fantastic_.

As the bar ticked onwards at its glacial pace, Bellwether allowed her mind to return to Judy Hopps, as it was wont to do of late, and considered something. That night at the museum hadn't gone as ideally as she'd expected; Hopps had survived and her main source of serum had been destroyed.

And yet, her contingency plan... her _backup_.

She'd been able to enact _that_.

But did Hopps even _know_? Was she... _aware_ of what had happened? Unlikely. She'd been out cold, with a savaged fox standing right over her.

It didn't seem to have taken much effect on her, regardless, on account of the fact she'd been in a fit enough state to stage a convoluted escape from a hospital facility.

 _If those damn doctors had just been competent enough to take a closer look at her... to run a blood test..._

A loud beep snapped Bellwether out of her rumination, signalling that the Tundratown database had loaded. A garish icey blue served as the background for this district's census, again organised alphabetically by surname. Bellwether removed her glasses, cleaned them, and then replaced them to ease her search as she scrolled down through the list. However, it was not the names she was focusing her beady eyes on: it was the occupations. The businesses.

If she was going to dispatch Hopps in short order, it couldn't be her to be the one to do it. Putting aside the obvious suspicion and controversy that would be stirred up if the mayor of Zootopia suddenly up and left her post to go and murder a respected civilian out in a forest, she didn't fancy her chances against a savage predator.

Thankfully, though, coming into contact with the darkest depths of the city's underworld through Doug had provided her with certain... _connections_.

At last, she found the group of people associated with the organisation she was looking for, and was on the cusp of entering their more detailed profiles when a sharp rap on the office door cut right across her thoughts.

Bellwether jumped in her seat and leant backwards, clutching one hoof to her chest in shock. She hadn't realised how engrossed in her work she'd been getting. _Dammit, I wasn't_ expecting _anyone._

The ewe switched off the monitor and inclined her head in the direction of the door to call to the visitor.

"Whoever that is, do come in."

The voice that returned was gruff, deep and serious.

"The door's locked, ma'am."

She chuckled a little and hopped down off her seat, fumbling for the key in her dress pocket. "Oh, yep, of course. That'll be right. Hold on a sec."

She made her way to the large door and unlocked it, and, as the large oaken slab swung open, she found herself face to face with the belly of a large rhinoceros in ZPD uniform. Sniffing a little, she tilted her head upwards to examine his face. He appeared grizzled, wrinkled and world-weary, but from the evidently well-polished badge on his chest and the tidy state in which his uniform was worn, Bellwether surmised he was dedicated to his work.

Exactly the kind of unwavering loyalty she'd need from tomorrow onward.

"Well, Officer..."

She attempted to make out the name on his lapel.

He stiffened and stood straight. "McHorn, ma'am."

"Officer McHorn, right. I don't believe you made an appointment?"

He eyed her rather alarmingly. "I'm here on a matter of the utmost urgency, Mayor."

"Oh, I'm sure. I guess the ZPD's being worked to the bone right now, huh? What with, you know, the new law being enacted tomorrow and all."

Her flippant, jaunty tone of voice did not seem to gibe well with McHorn, who snorted. "We're managing, ma'am. Which, incidentally, is what I've come to discuss."

Bellwether started. Maybe she _should_ give this guy a little of her time after all. "Ah, I see. Well, that changes things somewhat. Why don't you come on in, Officer?"

"Ma'am." McHorn gave a pretentious sort of salute, and she stepped aside to admit him into the office. "I hope I'm not disturbing you."

She followed him in, allowing the door to swing shut behind her. "I'd be lying if I said I wasn't in the middle of something, but it's a poor mayor who can't multitask, so it's no skin off my nose."

The ewe tottered back to her seat and swivelled round to look at McHorn, who had stopped in his tracks. He was eyeing up the wall map with great interest. Her stomach dropped. _Oh, God. I should have covered it._

McHorn tilted his head inquisitively, clearly struggling to process what must have appeared to him as garbled nonsense, and slowly turned to address Bellwether.

"Mayor Bellwether, if it isn't out of line for me to do so, may I ask...?"

She fumbled for an excuse. Her mind provided one straight away. "Expansions. I was taking the time to plot out some new developments for the city. You know, housing, shopping, industry, all that jazz. I just figured it's about time we consider moving beyond the same old island we've been building on for decades; all that water around us and everything. I mean, we aren't a castle, right? It's not a moat."

She was rambling now and she knew it, but McHorn refused to tear his attention from the map. He seemed to focus in on one line of her writing in particular and read it aloud with much confusion. "'Strike zone'?"

She gulped, but forced a smile. "That's... that's what I'm calling the new mall."

He raised an eyebrow. "I can see the crowds flocking to _that_."

Deciding this charade had gone on long enough, Bellwether made her next sentence more stern.

"I wouldn't want to take up any more of your valuable time than absolutely necessary, Officer, nor do I wish to cut into mine, so if we could please come to the point."

Sensing he had perhaps overstepped a boundary, McHorn chose not to further pursue his line of questioning and crossed to her desk. Much like Bogo, he too cast a judgmental eye over the sea of post-it notes strewn on it, but ignored it and began to speak.

"As you're no doubt aware, I've been assigned temporary leadership of the ZPD while Chief Bogo is in custody following his... outburst at your conference, and as such, I-"

"No, I wasn't aware." _God, that was fast._

"Really? I would have assumed it would have made it into the papers, or that you'd have heard it through the grapevine by now."

"Well, I haven't. In truth, I've been practically cooped up in here for the past 48 hours putting everything in place for the quarantine on predators. Not much of a chance for socialisation or gossip."

"I see. In short, soon after Chief Bogo was incarcerated, the _remaining_ officers," he stressed the word, indicating contempt at her removal of predators from the force, "were forced into administrative measures. Things move quickly at the ZPD. We took into account the roles, responsibilities and qualifications of every officer so as to decide who would be best suited to lead the force while a new official chief was elected. That turned out to be me."

Another adjustment of her glasses. "Yes, well, I'm sure you'll handle it all just fine." She seized the opportunity to drive home her alternative story as to why Bogo was darted. "A surprise, really, that Bogo turned out to be sympathising with the attackers. I'd never have guessed this went all the way up to him."

McHorn had no idea, of course, that it went even higher.

The rhino fumbled with his badge. He was clearly uncomfortable with this viewpoint. "You'll forgive me for saying so, ma'am, but from what I've heard about the incident it didn't seem like that was his motivation at all."

Bellwether clasped her hooves together on the desk. She had half-expected this. "Oh?"

McHorn shuffled his feet. "It rather appeared that he was simply taking umbrage at your announcement."

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow now. "None of the other people present seemed to have such a violent reaction to it." Naturally, she knew why: unlike Bogo, they weren't privy to the full extent of what was in the file.

McHorn waved an arm dismissively. "They were the press. He could have been shot dead in front of them and they wouldn't have batted an eyelid so long as they got good pictures." He fixed her with a steely gaze, again not unlike Bogo. "No, he seemed to know something they didn't. And I'm not sure what that is, but he isn't in any frame of mind to tell us at the moment, anyway."

Bellwether exhaled. _Sure, he isn't - for now_.

"Alright. Actually, how is he doing? Last I heard he's recovering in one of the police station's cells. I should hope he hasn't been let out?"

"Of course not. Not that he'd be going anywhere if we did. He's still practically unconscious."

This caught her off guard. "Really? That can't be possible, surely." _Good Lord, what had her henchman_ hit _him with?_

"No, you wouldn't think so, would you? But I assure you, ma'am, he's still down for the count. Of course, he's been sort of... sliding in and out of consciousness every now and again. We've heard a few groans and he's even sat up once or twice, but for the most part he's still sleeping off whatever got shot into him. We'll question him when he comes round."

"Huh. Well, color me surprised. Anyway, that's all water under the bridge compared to the bigger picture here." She rubbed her muzzle a bit. "Run me through how you're all set up for tomorrow."

"Ah, yes. As I say, that's why I'm here. I wanted final approval on the positions of the force in advance of commencement tomorrow morning."

"I'm all ears, Officer."

McHorn nodded and dug around in his front shirt pocket, which proved to be rather spacious, as there was room for a notepad and pencil, which he produced and flipped to a certain page. Clearing his throat, he began paraphrasing what was written.

"Each ZPD officer has been organised into factions, or regiments, if you'd rather call them that. The teams were decided based on species, skill and applicability to each district. Officer Trunkabee, for instance, will be policing Sahara Square."

"I don't know him, but I'm gonna go out on a limb here and assume that's an elephant. In which case, good match."

McHorn looked up from his pad. "Very astute of you, ma'am." He looked back down. "In turn, each faction has been assigned to a specific region. We've ensured that all areas of the city, from Little Rodentia to the Nocturnal District, will have coverage. In other words, every street and residence in Zootopia will be searched."

"Good. If the savage cases continue to be as widespread as they've already begun to become, we can't afford to leave any stone unturned."

"Exactly our thinking, Mayor. Now: at approximately 10AM ZST, ZPD officers will move into their designated zones and commence subduing all citizens of the predatory class. In an ideal world, we'd just be able to slap on the handcuffs and cart them off, but we don't live in an ideal world, so I've authorised the use of force in case of resistance. I hope that's fine by you, ma'am."

The ewe nodded. She liked where this was going. "Absolutely."

"Alright. Our estimate for the total amount of time this will take is approximately 5 hours, if the scheduling and timeframes we have planned meticulously go according to our design. At that point, all units will converge in the central plaza of Savannah Central at approximately 15:30 ZST, which we have arranged to be evacuated and sectioned off. Once all have gathered, we shall begin to make preparations for subsequent detainment of the predators. I trust you have that under control."

If she was being honest, she hadn't sunk a great deal of consideration into that stage, but she did at least have a location for the preds in mind. She didn't allow this uncharacteristic disorganisation to show in front of McHorn, however.

"That trust isn't misguided, Officer. Everything's in place."

He pocketed the notepad once more. "I figured as much. Well, with your approval, ma'am, this is the order of events as they'll occur tomorrow." His face grew solemn. "I..." he hesitated, "I can't help but express my personal discomfort with this whole endeavour, Mayor. It feels rather drastic and, I might venture, a little prejudicial to round up every predator in the city based solely on around maybe 30 attacks, the cause of which we still aren't entirely certain about. Hardly a representative sample."

She looked him dead in the eyes. Her response was simple. "You want to see that number get any higher, McHorn?" _Because believe me, I can_ make _it higher_.

"Of course not."

"Then needs must."

He looked down at his feet. "I suppose so. Well, I've said my piece. If it all seems OK to you, I'll be heading back to the station now to grant final authorisation to the troops."

Bellwether stood up in her seat, satisfied with his compliance, and extended a hoof as amiably as she could manage. "It's a work of art, Officer. This whole thing is in good hands."

He faltered for a moment, but shook her hoof all the same. "Thank you, ma'am. I'm flattered."

She leant in slyly. _Time for the final blow_. "Keep this up, and I... I might put in a good word or two for you when it comes to electing the next chief."

His eyes widened. "I'd appreciate that immensely."

"Yes, I thought so. Well, I won't keep you any longer. I've got matters of my own to attend to. Good luck, McHorn."

He gave one last salute, and then turned to leave. His flat feet thudded with a resounding force against the floor, making some of the room's sparse furniture shake a little.

And then it hit her. She wasn't quite sure why the idea only came to her at the last minute – perhaps his heavy footfalls had knocked something loose in her mind – but now it seemed so obvious. _This_ was the opportunity she'd been waiting for.

She switched her monitor back on and called to McHorn just as he reached the door.

"Officer? Sorry, can you come back on over here a moment? Just remembered something. Totally slipped my mind."

Almost automatically, the rhino pivoted round on the spot and headed back to her desk. "Of course, ma'am. I'm listening."

"Bear with me a second." Once the computer had sputtered back into life, illuminating the census of Tundratown once more, she highlighted the three profiles she'd been interested in and, with a right-click, set their credentials to print. Within seconds, the aging printer at the other end of her desk whirred loudly, startling McHorn a little. Bellwether tried to speak over the noise. "What I'm about to tell you has to remain completely off the books, Officer. Is that clear?"

McHorn appeared visibly bewildered, and maybe even a tad shocked, but nodded.

"Good. Here's the thing: there are three specific citizens, living in the Tundratown district, who are of the predator class. Naturally, that means your men will be hoovering them up tomorrow, but – and this is the important bit – I want them brought to me."

McHorn rubbed his chin. "To you."

"To me. As in, I don't want them being brought to the Savannah Central plaza along with all the other preds." She chuckled, desperate to lighten the mood and thus lower his suspicions. "City's 10% predator, McHorn. That's like, hundreds of thousands of animals. Who's gonna miss three?"

"The statistics check out, ma'am, but the part of this that concerns me is the protocol. What you're suggesting sounds to be in direct violation of it."

She furrowed her brow. "You forget who you're talking to, Officer. I _make_ the protocol."

McHorn appeared unable to compose a response to this.

"I'll take your silence as acceptance, then. So, to reiterate: these three predators, to me, if you please." The printer finished its incessant whirring. "Oh, and this is them now."

She tore off the paper and saw that, while the ink levels were low enough for spots to be left unprinted, the text was more than visible enough for what she needed. The important parts, anyway. She grabbed her trusty felt-tip pen and underlined the citizens' names, addresses and particularly their occupation and place of business.

"Here." She handed McHorn the paper. "I won't say any more on the matter. You know what I'm asking of you, I'm not gonna patronise you."

The rhino took the paper and gave a quick glance down at it. He opened his mouth, as if to protest further, but seemed to think better of it, and simply folded the document and placed it into his pocket. "Is that everything, ma'am?"

Bellwether put on a pseudo-smile. "It really _is_ this time, Officer. No surprises." As she had done with Bogo, she crossed to the door and opened it for him; a passive-aggressive way of telling him to get the hell out. "I'm sure you won't let me down."

The rhino snorted, but did not translate this clear contempt into speech. "We'll all make a concerted effort to ensure it runs as smoothly as conceivably possible, ma'am."

"That's what I like to hear. Fighting words." She grinned. "Goodbye, now. This has been very... pleasant."

McHorn fingered the pocket containing the paper one last time, then departed.

Bellwether listened to his footsteps until they'd disappeared, and then trotted back to her seat. She clapped her hooves together gleefully.

 _Checkmate, Judy._

Already the next phase of her plan was in motion, less than an hour after she'd thought of it. She surprised herself sometimes.

She allowed herself another chuckle at the thought of how McHorn would react when he took a closer look at the occupations of the citizens. She'd made sure to underline _that_ part _extra_ carefully:

' **Tundratown Limo Service** '.

* * *

 _ **Well, it's a Bellwether chapter, so maybe not what you all wanted, but get this: this is now officially the longest chapter of 'The Food Chain'! And I'm mighty proud of it. I tried to stuff it full with as much plot development/exposition/foreshadowing as possible while still keeping it fresh and exciting, which is no easy task, but it needs to happen for the progression of the plot. These things are important, guys.**_

 _ **As ever, feedback is appreciated. And, to one Mr. Hikers123, your criticism has been received and comprehended. I'm a sucker for constructive help like that, and I plan to apply it to later chapters. Muchos gracias.**_

 _ **See y'all next chapter!**_


	19. Overdue Update

Hello there, folks.

Well, here's a bizarre Yuletide gift for you. I imagine you all had a collective heart attack when you saw this pop up in your notifications, so once you've recovered (CPR might be wise) do read on.

I'm gonna have to disappoint you one last time, as this isn't a new chapter; it is, however, an update, since many have asked for one. And as they say, ask and ye shall receive.

It's come to the forefront of my mind lately that I've pretty much been engaging in radio silence since around July, and for that I owe you an apology. All 351 of you. That blows my mind.

I can't give a firm date for the next instalment, since my workload and personal obligations in other areas continue to stack up, but I _can_ give you my word that the rapid pace of updates I maintained at the outset will be resumed in due course. Thanks to some wonderful help and motivation from writers far more talented than I, as well as the continued support of the amazing people over on the Zootopia Discord server (sup, Cutt) I'm just about back in the driver's seat mentally to bring this baby home. Y'all deserve closure. _Closure_.

In other words, consider this a firm reassurance that this story has officially NOT – read: _**NOT**_ – been dropped at all.

When the next chapter comes, and it _is_ coming, I'll explain what the hell's been going on more in-depth. I will say for now, though, that I'm so thankful for the support this story continues to receive, be it in the form of reviews/followers, or the fic actually being recently featured on ZNN! How about that?! Cheers, DarkFlameWolf!

Ta muchly, folks. Expect chapters soon. Nick and Judy's fate shall be revealed!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, too.

\- Basil


End file.
